Diabetes Fact Sheets in Korea, 2020: An Appraisal of Current Status

Background: This study aimed to investigate the recent prevalence, management, and comorbidities of diabetes among Korean adults aged 30 years by analyzing nationally representative data. Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016 to 2018, and the percentage and total number of people 30 years of age with diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were estimated. Results: In 2018, 13.8% of Korean adults aged 30 years had diabetes, and adults aged 65 years showed a prevalence rate of 28%. The prevalence of IFG was 26.9% in adults aged 30 years. From 2016 to 2018, 35% of the subjects with diabetes were not aware of their condition. Regarding comorbidities, 53.2% and 61.3% were obese and hypertensive, respectively, and 72% had hypercholesterolemia as defined by low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) 100 mg/dL in people with diabetes. Of the subjects with diabetes, 43.7% had both hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. With regard to glycemic control, only 28.3% reached the target level of <6.5%. Moreover, only 11.5% of subjects with diabetes met all three targets of glycosylated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and LDL-C. The percentage of energy intake from carbohydrates was higher in diabetes patients than in those without diabetes, while that from protein and fat was lower in subjects with diabetes.