Annual Prevalence and Incidence of Schizophrenia and Similar Psychotic Disorders in the Republic of Korea: A National Health Insurance Data-Based Study

Abstract

Objective We conducted this study to address the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and similar psychosis in South Korea with Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) database. Methods We used HIRA database, which includes diagnostic information of nearly all Korean nationals to collect number of cases with diagnosis of schizophrenia and schizophrenia-similar disorders (SSP), including schizophreniform, acute/transient psychotic disorders, schizoaffective disorders, and other/unspecific nonorganic psychosis (ICD-10 codes F20/23/25/28/29) between 2010 and 2015. The annual prevalence and incidence were calculated using the population data from the Korean Statistical Office. Results The 12-month prevalence of SSP of Korea between 2010 and 2015 were 0.48-0.66%. The 12-month prevalence of schizophrenia were 0.40-0.52%; The annual incidence rates (IR) of SSP between 2010 and 2015 were 118.8-148.7 per 100,000 person-year (PY). For schizophrenia, IR per 100,000 PY were 77.6-88.5 between 2010 and 2015. Conclusion The 12-month prevalence found in the present study was higher than that reported in community-based epidemiologic studies in South Korea but similar to those from other countries. The annual incidence of SSP and schizophrenia was found to steadily increase and was higher than that of other countries. The high incidence rate observed in the current study needs to be studied further.

Anti-Inflammatory Diets and Schizophrenia

“…Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder with the prevalence of about 20 million people worldwide and has also affected about 450 thousand people in Republic of Korea [ 1 2 ]. The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, and racing thoughts, etc.)…”

Adherence to Antipsychotic Drugs by Medication Possession Ratio for Schizophrenia and Similar Psychotic Disorders in the Republic of Korea: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…One study was conducted only for Florida Medicaid recipients, and the other study was for the patients who were diagnosed as schizophrenia for the rst time in Korea [7−22]. The present study was based on national data for ve years to ensure representativeness, and is meaningful in that it is the rst study to analyze drug adherence following previous studies of incidence and prevalence studies of schizophrenia and SSP patients [1].…”

“…Since 1989, Korea implemented an obligatory universal coverage of medical insurance program, which includes 97% of the total population registered in the National Health Insurance (NHI), and the remaining 3% with the lowest socioeconomic status are supported by the National Medical Aid (NMA). The NHI covers almost 97% of the total population, which was approximately 50 million in 2015 [1]. A government agency, titled, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) examines all the claims submitted to the NHI and NMA for reimbursement.…”

“…Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and schizophrenia similar psychosis (SSP), are among the most serious forms of mental illness with a high prevalence rate. Our previous study, which analyzed data from Korea's Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) service, reported that the 12-month prevalence of SSP was 0.48−0.66%, and schizophrenia had a 12-month prevalence of 0.40−0.52% [1]. The annual incidence rate (IR) of SSP reached 118.8−148.7 per 100,000 person-year (PY), and schizophrenia reported an IR of 77.6−88.5 per 100,000.…”

The Effect of Cognitive Training in a Day Care Center in Patients with Early Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia: A Retrospective Study

“…Exclusion criteria were as follows: 1) any primary neurodegenerative or psychiatric disorder other than ADD (i.e., Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder), 12,13 2) diagnosed as clinically possible, probable, or definite vascular dementia by criteria of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-the Association pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences (NINDS-AIREN), 14 3) brain tumor or severe traumatic brain injury, 4) any history of drug or alcohol addiction within the past 2 years, 5) cases of medical diseases (liver disease, kidney disease, or thyroid disease) that cause cognitive function decline, and 6) any physical disability (hearing or visual impairment) that could significantly impair the evaluation of the patient or cognitive training program.…”