Clin Mol Hepatol.  2012 Sep;18(3):309-315. 10.3350/cmh.2012.18.3.309.

Type and cause of liver disease in Korea: single-center experience, 2005-2010

• Lee SS
• Byoun YS
• Jeong SH
• Kim YM
• Gil H
• Min BY
• Seong MH
• Jang ES
• Kim JW

• KMID: 1392911
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3350/cmh.2012.18.3.309

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The aim of this study was to describe the types and causes of liver disease in patients from a single community hospital in Korea between April 2005 and May 2010.
METHODS
A cohort of patients who visited the liver clinic of the hospital during the aforementioned time period were consecutively enrolled (n=6,307). Consistent diagnostic criteria for each liver disease were set by a single, experienced hepatologist, and the diagnosis of all of the enrolled patients was confirmed by retrospective review of their medical records.
RESULTS
Among the 6,307 patients, 528 (8.4%) were classified as acute hepatitis, 3,957 (62.7%) as chronic hepatitis, 767 (12.2%) as liver cirrhosis, 509 (8.1%) as primary liver cancer, and 546 (8.7%) as a benign liver mass or other diseases. The etiologies in the acute hepatitis group in decreasing order of prevalence were hepatitis A (44.3%), toxic hepatitis (32.4%), other hepatitis viruses (13.8%), and cryptogenic hepatitis (9.1%). In the chronic hepatitis group, 51.2% of cases were attributed to viral hepatitis, 33.3% to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and 13.0% to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Of the cirrhoses, 73.4% were attributable to viral causes and 18.1% to alcohol. Of the hepatocellular carcinoma cases, 86.6% were attributed to viral hepatitis and 11.6% to ALD. Among the benign tumors, hemangioma comprised 52.2% and cystic liver disease comprised 33.7%.
CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of the current status of the type and cause of liver disease in Korea may be valuable as a basis for evaluating changing trends in liver disease in that country.

Keyword

Liver disease; Diagnosis; Etiology, Korea

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/epidemiology/etiology/pathology
Chronic Disease
Cohort Studies
Fatty Liver/epidemiology
Female
Hepatitis/epidemiology
Hepatitis, Viral, Human/complications/epidemiology
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis/epidemiology/etiology
Liver Diseases/*diagnosis/epidemiology
Liver Diseases, Alcoholic/complications/epidemiology
Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology/etiology/pathology
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Retrospective Studies
Young Adult