Rising Incidence of Diabetes in Young Adults in South Korea: A National Cohort Study

• Published in: Diabetes & metabolism journal Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 803 - 807
• Main Authors: Choi, Hyun Ho, Choi, Giwoong, Yoon, Hojun, Ha, Kyoung Hwa, Kim, Dae Jung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Diabetes Association 01.09.2022; 대한당뇨병학회
• Subjects: Brief Report; diabetes mellitus; epidemiology; incidence; 내과학; Epidemiology; Diabetes mellitus; Incidence
• ISSN: 2233-6079; 2233-6087
• DOI: 10.4093/dmj.2021.0236

We investigated the incidence of diagnosed diabetes in South Korean adults (aged ≥20 years) by analyzing data for the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. From 2006 to 2015, the overall incidence rate of diagnosed diabetes decreased by approximately 0.1% per year until 2015. Although, this trend was observed in individuals aged 40 years or over, the rate increased slightly in the 20-29 and 30-39 years age groups, from 0.5 to 0.7 and 2.0 to 2.6 per 1,000 individuals, respectively. The proportion of obese young adults with diabetes increased remarkably, from 51.4% in 2006 to 72.4% in 2015. Thus, young adults need early identification and weight-control strategies to prevent diabetes.