Men's health in South Korea

Abstract

Over the last four decades, rapid industrialisation and a Westernized lifestyle have changed disease patterns in South Korea. This study was conducted to review the current state of men's health in South Korea. By reviewing reports of government authorities and domestic and foreign studies related to men's health, we found that in men o65 years of age, 28.4% considered their health status good, whereas 38.3% considered their health status poor. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms was similar to that in Caucasians. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was higher than the global average. The incidence of cryptorchidism and hypospadias showed a tendency towards increase. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus continuously increased by 10.8% in 2008 and was the fifth leading cause of death in 2008. The prevalence of obesity increased from 26.0% in 1998 to 31.7% in 2007. The prevalence of ischaemic heart disease has continuously increased, with heart diseases causing one of every 12 deaths. The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2005 was 17.2% among adults o45 years of age. The top five prevalent cancers in men, in descending order, were cancers of the stomach, lung, liver, large bowel and prostate, among which the incidence of stomach, lung and liver cancers decreased by 0.7%, 0.6% and 2.2%, respectively, from 1999 to 2007, whereas the incidence of large bowel and prostate cancers increased by 7.0% and 13.2%, respectively. The prevalence of depression, dementia and sleep disorders was estimated as 17.3%, 4.21% and 20.2%, respectively. Together, these findings suggest that disease patterns in South Korean men are becoming Westernized.

How Serious Is Erectile Dysfunction in Men's Lives? Comparative Data From Korean Adults

“…The higher prevalence of ED may be attributed to the relatively higher prevalence of risk factors for ED. An increase in the aging population, rapid industrialization, westernization of the diet, and a reduction in physical activity in South Korea have changed disease patterns in men, increasing the prevalence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, coronary disease, and ED [24]. …”

A community-based study on lower urinary tract symptoms in Malaysian males aged 40 years and above

“…However, there are also other causes for these symptoms, such as overactive bladder, chronic prostatitis and prostate carcinoma 3 . Previous studies stated that one in five men aged 40 and above suffer from moderate to severe LUTS (International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) ≥ 8) 3 , 4 .…”

Design Opportunities for Digital Men's Health

“…For example, in the UK, men in their middle age are twice as likely as women to have diabetes, and twice as likely not to know they have diabetes [13]. In South Korea there have been significant increases in obesity among males [20] but decreases among middle-aged females [43]. In Australia, men between the ages of 25 and 64 are twice as likely to die than women of the same age [26].…”