95% of Domestic Diabetes Patients Are Aged 40 and Above... Annual Average Increase of 5.6%

69,320 per 100,000 population... Total Health Insurance Medical Expenses Exceed 3 Trillion Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The number of diabetes patients in South Korea has increased by more than 5% annually on average over the past five years, with 95% of patients being middle-aged and elderly.

The National Health Insurance Service announced on the 14th, in observance of 'World Diabetes Day,' the status of diabetes (E10?E14) treatment from 2017 to last year using health insurance treatment data.

The number of diabetes patients receiving treatment in South Korea rose from 2,866,540 in 2017 to 3,560,459 in 2021, an increase of 697,519 (24.3%) over four years. The average annual growth rate was 5.6%. Male patients increased by 26.2%, from 1,573,647 to 1,986,267, while female patients increased by 22.0%, from 1,292,893 to 1,577,792.

As of last year, by age group (life cycle), middle-aged patients (40?64 years) accounted for the largest share at 48.7% (1,736,651), followed by elderly patients (65 years and older) at 46.6% (1,661,757). Among male patients, the middle-aged group accounted for 55.0%, while among female patients, the elderly group accounted for 55.2%, the highest proportions respectively.

The number of patients receiving diabetes treatment and prescribed medication last year accounted for 79.1% (2,817,987) of the total.

When examining diabetes patients by income quintile, the fifth quintile accounted for the largest share at 34.3% (1,222,535), followed by the fourth quintile at 19.7% (702,291), and the first quintile at 15.6% (554,512). Both male and female patients were most numerous in the fifth quintile.

The number of diabetes patients per 100,000 population in South Korea was 6,932 last year, a 23.3% increase from 5,627 in 2017. Among males, it rose from 6,155 to 7,716 per 100,000, an increase of 25.4%, and among females, from 5,096 to 6,147 per 100,000, an increase of 20.6%.

Total health insurance medical expenses due to diabetes increased by 45.1% (1.0058 trillion KRW) from 2.2286 trillion KRW in 2017 to 3.2344 trillion KRW in 2021. This corresponds to an average annual increase of 9.8%. During this period, the annual medical expense per patient increased by 16.7%, from 777,000 KRW to 908,000 KRW.

Diabetes occurs due to a combination of factors including lifestyle, genetics, and environmental influences. Most cases show no specific symptoms, but symptoms such as polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, weight loss, fatigue, postprandial drowsiness, periodontitis, skin diseases, blurred vision, tingling or numbness in hands and feet may appear.

Professor Kim Ji-won of the Endocrinology Department at National Health Insurance Ilsan Hospital advised, "Maintaining an appropriate weight through regular exercise and weight loss, and managing lifestyle with a healthy diet are ways to prevent diabetes. Engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise and be sure to quit smoking."

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