"6 Million Diabetic Patients Aged 30 and Over in Korea... Management at Failing Level"

Diabetes Association: "Urgent Recognition and Measures Needed as a National Crisis"

[Image source=Getty Images]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The number of diabetes patients in South Korea has surpassed 6 million. Notably, 4 out of 10 patients are aged 65 or older, highlighting the growing importance of managing diabetes among the elderly.

According to the Diabetes Fact Sheet in Korea 2021 released by the Korean Diabetes Association on the 6th, the number of diabetes patients aged 30 and above in the country was recorded at 6.05 million as of 2020.

This figure surpasses the 5.91 million patients predicted by the Korean Diabetes Association in 2012 to be reached by 2050, exceeding the forecast by 30 years. Considering that the number of diabetes patients was 3.12 million in 2010, it has roughly doubled in the past decade.

Among all diabetes patients, 39.2% are aged 65 or older. In particular, more than 1 in 2 women aged 65 or older (51.2%) suffer from diabetes, further emphasizing the increasing importance of elderly diabetes management.

The financial burden of diabetes-related medical expenses is also increasing. Diabetes treatment costs rose from approximately 1.8 trillion KRW in 2015 to about 2.9 trillion KRW in 2020, an increase of over 60% in five years.

Despite this, diabetes management is criticized as being at a failing level. Diabetes often coexists with conditions such as hypertension and dyslipidemia, and due to the high risk of complications, it is essential to manage glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and cholesterol at appropriate levels. However, as of 2020, only 9.7% of patients had their diabetes managed comprehensively.

Moreover, only 24.5% of patients had their glycated hemoglobin, a key indicator for diabetes diagnosis and management, controlled within the target range of below 6.5%. This underscores the urgent need to raise awareness about diabetes and implement proactive measures.

Won Gyu-jang, director of the Korean Diabetes Association, emphasized, “The prevalence of diabetes in South Korea is increasing faster than expected. Considering that South Korea is approaching a super-aged society, this trend is likely to accelerate further. Diabetes can cause complications such as cardiovascular and kidney diseases, in addition to other chronic conditions like hypertension and dyslipidemia, so integrated and proactive management from the early stages is crucial.”

He continued, “Surpassing the 2050 forecast by 30 years indicates that there was an absolute lack of time to prevent a diabetes crisis. We must recognize this as a serious national crisis and not delay efforts to resolve it. We hope the government and expert groups will promptly establish practical measures to prevent successive diabetes crises, and the association will take the lead in this effort.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.