6 out of 10 Angina Patients Are Male... 2.4% Annual Increase

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] It was found that 60% of angina patients are male. Angina is a disease that causes chest pain due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle caused by blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries.

The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) announced on the 15th the status of health insurance treatment for angina from 2017 to 2021 using health insurance treatment data.

According to the NHIS, the number of patients treated for angina has been increasing by an average of 2.4% annually. Last year, 710,764 patients received treatment for angina, a 10.1% increase compared to 625,772 in 2017. The total health insurance treatment cost for angina patients last year was 1.0039 trillion KRW, a 30.3% increase from 770.7 billion KRW in 2017. The treatment cost per patient was 1.41 million KRW.

The number of angina patients treated per 100,000 population was 1,382 last year, a 9.0% increase from 1,268 in 2017. The number per 100,000 increased to 1,302 in 2018 and 1,324 in 2019, slightly decreased to 1,304 in 2020, and rose again last year.

Among all patients, males accounted for 60% (425,252), which is 139,740 more than females (285,512). By age group, those in their 60s accounted for the largest share at 31.5% (223,807) of total patients, followed by those in their 70s at 29.6% (210,147), and those aged 80 and above at 16.1% (114,093).

Professor Jang Ji-yong of the Cardiology Department at National Health Insurance Ilsan Hospital explained the reason why there are many angina patients in their 60s: "Angina is a representative cardiovascular disease, and vascular aging gradually progresses from relatively healthy people in their 30s and 40s. When repeatedly exposed to poor lifestyle habits and metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis and narrowing of the arteries progress over a long period."

Professor Jang advised, "To prevent angina, active control of causes such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia is necessary, and it is important to maintain aerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes five times a week and strength training twice a week."

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