Diabetes Metab J.  2021 Jan;45(1):115-119. 10.4093/dmj.2020.0120.

Status of Diabetic Neuropathy in Korea: A National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort Analysis (2006 to 2015)

• Moon SS
• Kim CH
• Kang SM
• Kim ES
• Oh TJ
• Yun JS
• Cho HC
• Kim DJ
• Park TS

• KMID: 2514080
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2020.0120

Abstract

This report presents the status of diabetic neuropathy (DN) in Korea as determined using a National Health Insurance ServiceNational Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC). Annual prevalences of DN were estimated by age and gender using descriptive statistics. Pharmacological treatments for DN were also analyzed. The annual prevalence of DN increased from 24.9% in 2006 to 26.6% in 2007, and thereafter, gradually subsided to 20.8% in 2015. In most cases, pharmacological treatments involved a single drug, which accounted for 91.6% of total prescriptions in 2015. The most commonly used drugs (in decreasing order) were thioctic acid, an anti-convulsive agent, or a tricyclic antidepressant. In conclusion, the prevalence of DN decreased over the 10-year study period. Thioctic acid monotherapy was usually prescribed for DN. To reduce the socio-economic burden of DN, more attention should be paid to the diagnosis of this condition and to the appropriate management of patients.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic neuropathies; National health programs

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Prevalence of diabetic neuropathy in total study population (A) and by age group (B).

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  Fig. 2 Proportion of pharmacological treatment in diabetic neuropathy.

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