Increasing achievement of the target goals for glycemic, blood pressure and lipid control for adults with diagnosed diabetes in Korea.

Abstract

Aims/Introduction: We investigated the prevalence, treatment and control of diagnosed diabetes in Korean adults from 1998 to 2010. Materials and Methods: The Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare carried out the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) in the years 1998 (I), 2001 (II), 2005 (III), 2007-2009 (IV) and 2010 (V). We estimated the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Korean adults and the proportions of well-controlled diabetes, as defined by having glycosylated hemoglobin <7.0%, blood pressure <130/80 mmHg and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol <100 mg/dL according to the American Diabetes Association. Results: The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased significantly from 3.2% in 1998 to 6.4% in 2010 (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of adults with diagnosed diabetes achieving blood pressure and LDL cholesterol target levels increased from 23.8% to 54.2% (P < 0.0001), and 25.7% to 47.7% (P<0.0001), respectively. However, the percentage of patients achieving glycemic goals did not increase significantly from 42.5% to 49.1% (P = 0.3034). Furthermore, there were significant increases in the proportions of individuals achieving all three target levels, from 2.7% in 2005 to 8.7% in 2010 (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Korea increased significantly from 1998 to 2010. The percentages of those achieving all recommendations of the American Diabetes Association have increased, but are still not satisfactory.