Diabetes Metab J.  2016 Jun;40(3):175-181. 10.4093/dmj.2016.40.3.175.

Are We in the Same Risk of Diabetes Mellitus? Gender- and Age-Specific Epidemiology of Diabetes in 2001 to 2014 in the Korean Population

• Koo BK
• Moon MK

• KMID: 2308624
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2016.40.3.175

Abstract

In the early 2000s, the prevalence of diabetes in adults aged ≥30 years in Korea was about 9% to 10%, and it remained stable. However, a nationwide survey showed that this prevalence increased over the past few years. After age-standardization using the Korean population of the year 2010, the prevalence of diabetes in adults aged ≥30 years was 10.0% to 10.8% between 2001 and 2012, which increased to 12.5% in 2013 and 11.6% in 2014. During that period, there have been changes in the gender- and age-specific prevalence of diabetes in Korean adults. The prevalence of diabetes in the elderly population increased significantly, while this prevalence in young adults, especially in young women, did not change significantly. The contribution of each diabetic risk factor, such as obesity, β-cell dysfunction, sarcopenia, and socioeconomic status, in developing diabetes has also changed during that period in each gender and age group. For young women, obesity was the most important risk factor; by contrast, for elderly diabetic patients, sarcopenia was more important than obesity as a risk factor. Considering the economic burden of diabetes and its associated comorbidities, a public health policy targeting the major risk factors in each population might be more effective in preventing diabetes.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus; Korea; Obesity; Prevalence; Sarcopenia

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Comorbidity
Diabetes Mellitus*
Epidemiology*
Female
Humans
Korea
Obesity
Prevalence
Public Health
Risk Factors
Sarcopenia
Social Class
Young Adult

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The age-standardized prevalence of diabetes in adults aged ≥30 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2014. Age standardization was done using the Korean population in the year 2010. Cases of diabetes mellitus were defined as subjects who were users of antidiabetic medication, including insulin, at the point of the survey or had 8-hour fasting plasma glucose levels ≥126 mg/dL. (A) The overall prevalence of diabetes mellitus in adults aged ≥30 years was shown according to gender. The prevalence in men and women was presented by a circle and square with a standardized error bar, respectively. (B) The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in adults aged 30 to 59 years and ≥60 years was presented with black and gray bars, respectively.

• 

  Fig. 2 The age-standardized prevalence of diabetes in adults aged (A) ≥30 years and (B) 30 to 59 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 to 2014 using different diagnostic criteria. Cases of diabetes mellitus were defined as subjects who were users of antidiabetic medication, including insulin, at the point of the survey or had 8-hour fasting plasma glucose levels ≥126 mg/dL (criteria I, solid line). After adopting an glycosylated hemoglobin ≥6.5% as one of diagnostic criteria of diabetes (criteria II, dashed line), the prevalence of diabetes was increased 2.2% to 2.4%.

• 

  Fig. 3 The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Korean population by age group from the National Health Insurance database. PY, person-year.

• 

  Fig. 4 The level of (A) insulin secretion capacity and (B) insulin resistance according to the age of patients with recent-onset diabetes from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008 to 2010. Recent-onset diabetes patients were defined as those who have had diabetes for <5 years. HOMA-β, the homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function; HOMA-IR, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; DM, diabetes mellitus.

• 

  Fig. 5 The prevalence of sarcopenia (class I+class II) in subjects with recent-onset diabetes and without diabetes. Sarcopenia was classified as class I or class II, defined as appendicular skeletal muscle mass/weight 1 to 2 or >2 standard deviations, respectively, below the gender-specific mean for healthy young adults. The entire prevalence of sarcopenia in each age group was separated by gray and black bars which represent the prevalence of sarcopenia class I and II, respectively. DM, diabetes mellitus.

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