Trends in Diabetes Incidence in the Last Decade Based on Korean National Health Insurance Claims Data.
BACKGROUND
Epidemiological data is useful to estimate the necessary manpower and resources used for disease control and prevention of prevalent chronic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of diabetes and identify its trends based on the claims data from the National Health Insurance Service database over the last decade.


METHODS
We extracted claims data on diabetes as the principal and first additional diagnoses of National Health Insurance from January 2003 to December 2012. We investigated the number of newly claimed subjects with diabetes codes, the number of claims and the demographic characteristics of this population.


RESULTS
Total numbers of claimed cases and populations with diabetes continuously increased from 1,377,319 in 2003 to 2,571,067 by 2012. However, the annual number of newly claimed diabetic subjects decreased in the last decade. The total number of new claim patients with diabetes codes decreased as 30.9% over 2005 to 2009. Since 2009, the incidence of new diabetes claim patients has not experienced significant change. The 9-year average incidence rate was 0.98% and 1.01% in men and women, respectively. The data showed an increasing proportion of new diabetic subjects of younger age (<60 years) combined with a sharply decreasing proportion of subjects of older age (≥60 years).


CONCLUSIONS
There were increasing numbers of newly claimed subjects with diabetes codes of younger age over the last 10 years. This increasing number of diabetic patients will require management throughout their life courses because Korea is rapidly becoming an aging society.
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Sun Ok
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4829-3407
SO
Song
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yong Ho
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6219-4942
YH
Lee
Department of Policy Research Affairs, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Dong Wook
DW
Kim
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea. ydsyko@gmail.com.
Young Duk
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5397-1458
YD
Song
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Joo Young
JY
Nam
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Kyoung Hye
KH
Park
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Institute on Aging, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
Dae Jung
DJ
Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Korea.
Seok Won
SW
Park
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hyun Chul
HC
Lee
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Byung Wan
BW
Lee
Claims data; Diabetes; Incidence; Korea