Korea hypertension fact sheet 2020: analysis of nationwide population-based data

Abstract

Background The Korean Society of Hypertension has published the Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2020 to provide an overview of the magnitude and management status of hypertension and their recent trends. Methods The Fact Sheets were based on the analyses of Korean adults aged 20 years or older of the 2007–2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the 2002–2018 National Health Insurance Big Data (NHI-BD). Results Currently, the population average of systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 118/76 mmHg in Korean adults aged 20 years or older showing little change in the recent decade. However, the number of people with hypertension increased steadily, exceeding 12.0 million. Indeed, the number of people diagnosed with hypertension increased from 3.0 million in 2002 to 9.7 million in 2018. During the same period, the number of people using antihypertensive medication increased from 2.5 million to 9.0 million, and the number of people adherent to treatment increased from 0.6 million to 6.5 million. Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control rates increased rapidly until 2007, but showed plateaued thereafter. In 2018, the awareness, treatment, and control rates of hypertension among all adults were 67, 63, and 47%, respectively. However, the awareness and treatment rates were only 17 and 14% among adults aged 20 to 39 years old with hypertension. Among patients treated for hypertension, 61% of them were also using glucose-lowering or lipid-lowering drugs. Among antihypertensive prescriptions, 41% of the patients received monotherapy, 43% received dual therapy, and 16% received triple or more therapy. The most commonly prescribed antihypertensive medication was angiotensin receptor blockers, followed by calcium channel blockers and diuretics. Conclusion To achieve further improvement in management of hypertension, we need to encourage awareness and treatment in young adults. It is required to develop tailored prevention and management strategies that are appropriate for and inclusive of various demographics.

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants

“…We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to these sex-specific and age-specific data to estimate the primary outcomes by country, year, and age. All analyses 23% (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) controlled (47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62) were done separately by sex and for each primary outcome. The model is described in detail in a statistical paper 9 and related substantive papers 6,10 and summarised in the appendix (pp 4-6).…”

“… 57 , 58 Some countries, such as Canada, Costa Rica, South Korea, and Taiwan, have achieved low hypertension prevalence or high control through both improved prevention and improving every stage of the treatment cascade. 30 , 59 Universal health insurance has been instrumental in achieving high effective coverage but should be complemented with primary care strengthening, evidence-based hypertension guidelines that are up to date and are adapted to the country contexts, 8 , 47 health workforce training, and a robust system of drug procurement and distribution. 30 Programmes should also be regularly assessed, both at the population level, as our work has done, and in health facilities to ensure accountability and stimulate improvement.…”

Korea Heart Disease Fact Sheet 2020: Analysis of Nationwide Data

“…Regarding cardiovascular risk factors, fact sheets describing the prevalence and management status of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome have been published by affiliated academic societies of Korea. 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) Nonetheless, comprehensive data summarizing the overall status of CVD in Korea has not been reported yet. Thus, we analyzed the temporal trends in CVD mortality, hospitalization, and risk factors based on nationally representative datasets on behalf of the Korean Society of Cardiology.…”

Modifiable Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Korea and Japan

“… 11) 12) In 2018, the Korean and Japanese total population was estimated to be 51.6 and 126.8 million people, respectively 13) ; of them, about 12 and 43 million people were estimated to have hypertension, respectively. 12) 14) …”