Time trends of the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased dramatically in recent decades, and are now considered major chronic diseases at the global level. The increasing burden of allergic diseases has led to numerous worldwide and local researchers to investigate the time trends in its prevalence and identify its driving factors. Environmental changes such as urbanization and industrialization have been suggested to explain the increasing prevalence, but recent reports from Western countries suggest that this prevalence has reached a plateau or even possibly, started to decrease. However, such environmental changes are still occurring in many Asia-Pacific countries, including Korea, and it is speculated that the peak in allergy epidemics has yet to come. The present systematic literature review aimed to explore the time trends in the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea and to identify the unmet needs for facilitating further studies.

Ten-Year trends and prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis among the Korean population, 2008–2017

“…1) In particular, vulnerable children and young adults bear the burden of global trends in allergic diseases. 1,2) However, the evidence supporting such trends in asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis in Korea is controversial, as previous studies have reported both increasing [3][4][5][6] and decreasing prevalence. 2,[7][8][9] Furthermore, major questions remain regarding the age-stratified trends in allergic diseases and asthma in Korean populations.…”

The change in the prevalence of wheeze, eczema and rhino‐conjunctivitis among Japanese children: Findings from 3 nationwide cross‐sectional surveys between 2005 and 2015

“…This trend was similar to results from studies conducted in other countries or regions, including well-developed areas in Asia. 1,5,6 Japanese cedar pollen allergy is known to be increasing in Japan, due to the higher pollen counts from the matured trees planted after World War II with possible influence of climate change. 7 Whether the trend we found can be explained by Japanese cedar pollen allergy or other previously suggested environmental factors 8,9 needs exploration in future studies using sensitization data.…”

Epidemiology and Seasonal Variation of Ménière’s Disease: Data from a Population-Based Study

“…From 2012 to 2016, the prevalence of diabetes in the Korean population increased from 9.9 to 13.0% [Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea, 2018]. In addition, from 1998 to 2012, the prevalence of asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis in the Korean adult population also increased from 1.2 to 3.1%, from 1.2 to 17.9%, and from 2.7 to 3.8%, respectively [Yoo et al, 2015;Kang et al, 2018]. These allergic diseases and diabetes have been demonstrated to be more frequent in patients with MD than in the general population [Derebery and Berliner, 2000;Tyrrell et al, 2014;Pieskä et al, 2018].…”