Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Korea

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a global health burden, causing significant mortality and disability.
• Korea demonstrates low overall CVD mortality, yet specific disease trends and risk factor prevalence present challenges.
• Age-adjusted CVD mortality rates are declining, but variations exist across different CVD types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in cardiovascular disease mortality and hospitalization in Korea.
• To examine the impact of risk factors, particularly in the aging population, on CVD incidence.
• To identify key challenges in CVD prevention strategies for Korea.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of national health insurance claim data for hospitalization trends.
• Examination of age-standardized mortality rates for cerebrovascular and heart diseases.
• Assessment of the prevalence of major CVD risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking) across age groups.

Main Results:

• While overall CVD mortality decreases, heart disease mortality has risen since 2001, and heart failure incidence and mortality are rapidly increasing.
• Hospitalizations for cerebrovascular and ischemic heart diseases are rising in raw numbers but decreasing in age-standardized rates.
• A high prevalence of CVD risk factors exists, increasing significantly with age, with over 65% of adults over 70 having multiple risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Despite declining overall rates, specific CVDs like heart failure pose a growing threat in Korea.
• The aging population with multiple comorbidities represents a critical high-risk group requiring targeted CVD management.
• Proactive strategies focusing on risk factor reduction in the elderly are essential for future CVD prevention in Korea.