Diabetes Fact Sheets in Korea, 2018: An Appraisal of Current Status

• Published in: Diabetes & metabolism journal Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 487 - 494
• Main Authors: Kim, Bo-Yeon, Won, Jong Chul, Lee, Jae Hyuk, Kim, Hun-Sung, Park, Jung Hwan, Ha, Kyoung Hwa, Won, Kyu Chang, Kim, Dae Jung, Park, Kyong Soo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Diabetes Association / Daehan Dangnyobyeong Hakoe 01.08.2019; Korean Diabetes Association; 대한당뇨병학회
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adult; Age groups; Aged; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood pressure; Body mass index; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Comorbidity; Creatinine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology; Disease; Family income; Fasting - blood; Female; Glucose; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Health Surveys - methods; High density lipoprotein; Households; Humans; hypercholesterolemia; Hypercholesterolemia - epidemiology; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; Insulin; Male; Middle Aged; nutrition surveys; Nutrition Surveys - methods; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Obesity, Abdominal - epidemiology; Original; Prevalence; public health; republic of korea; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Risk Factors; Womens health; 내과학; Republic of Korea; Japan; Hypertension; Obesity; Hypercholesterolemia; Prevalence; Comorbidity; Diabetes mellitus; Nutrition surveys; Public health; Republic of Korea
• ISSN: 2233-6079; 2233-6087
• DOI: 10.4093/dmj.2019.0067

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence, management, and comorbidities of diabetes among Korean adults aged 30 years and older. This study used 2013 to 2016 data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally-representative survey of the Korean population. Diabetes was defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, current use of antidiabetic medication, a previous history of diabetes, or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥6.5%. In 2016, 14.4% (approximately 5.02 million) of Korean adults had diabetes. The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose was 25.3% (8.71 million). From 2013 to 2016, the awareness, control, and treatment rates for diabetes were 62.6%, 56.7%, and 25.1%, respectively. People with diabetes had the following comorbidities: obesity (50.4%), abdominal obesity (47.8%), hypertension (55.3%), and hypercholesterolemia (34.9%). The 25.1%, 68.4%, and 44.2% of people with diabetes achieved HbA1c <6.5%, blood pressure <140/85 mm Hg, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL. Only 8.4% of people with diabetes had good control of all three targets. This study confirms that diabetes is as an important public health problem. Efforts should be made to increase awareness, detection, and comprehensive management of diabetes to reduce diabetes-related morbidity and mortality.