Analysis of a South Korean nationwide database from 2002 to 2018 revealed PAH prevalence increased to 29.9 per million, with a 5-year survival rate of 71.8% among 2,151 incident cases.
Observational (n=2,151)
The prevalence and incidence of PAH in South Korea have grown rapidly since the early 2000s, with a 5-year survival rate of 71.8% that is comparable to western countries.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but fatal disease. Recent advances in PAH-specific drugs have improved its outcomes, although the healthcare burden of novel therapeutics may lead to a discrepancy in outcomes between developing and developed countries. We analyzed how the epidemiology and clinical features of PAH has changed through the rapidly advancing healthcare infrastructure in South Korea. METHODS: PAH was defined according to a newly devised 3-component algorithm. Using a nationwide health insurance claims database, we delineated annual trends in the prevalence, incidence, medication prescription pattern, and 5-year survival of PAH in Korea. Cumulative survival and potential predictors of mortality were also assessed among 2,151 incident PAH cases. RESULTS: Between 2002 or 2004 and 2018, the prevalence and incidence of PAH increased 75-fold (0.4 to 29.9 per million people) and 12-fold (0.5 to 6.3 per million person-years), respectively. The proportion of patients on combination PAH-specific drug therapy has also steadily increased up to 29.0% in 2018. Among 2,151 incident PAH cases (median interquartile range age, 50 37-62 years; 67.2% female), the 5-year survival rate and median survival duration were 71.8% and 13.1 years, respectively. Independent predictors of mortality were age, sex, etiology of PAH, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and chronic kidney disease. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide study delineated that the prevalence and incidence of PAH have grown rapidly in Korea since the early 2000s. The use of combination therapy has also increased, and the 5-year survival rate of PAH in Korea was similar to those in western countries.
Jang et al. (Sun,) conducted a observational in Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (n=2,151). Analysis of a South Korean nationwide database from 2002 to 2018 revealed PAH prevalence increased to 29.9 per million, with a 5-year survival rate of 71.8% among 2,151 incident cases.