Thirty-six Year Trends in Mortality from Diseases of Circulatory System in Korea

Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2023: analysis of nationwide population-based data with a particular focus on hypertension in special populations

BACKGROUND

The Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2023, presented by the Korean Society of Hypertension, offers an overview of the prevalence and management of hypertension, along with recent trends.

METHODS

Data for the Fact Sheet were derived from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning 1998 to 2021, and the National Health Insurance Big Data from 2002 to 2021.

RESULTS

As of 2021, hypertension affected 28.0% of Korean adults aged 20 and older, totaling approximately 12.3 million individuals, with 5.3 million (43.5%) aged 65 or older. Among those with hypertension, awareness stood at 74.1%, treatment rates at 70.3%, and control rates at 56.0%. Over the years, the number of hypertension diagnoses increased from 3.0 million in 2002 to 11.1 million in 2021. During the same period, the utilization of antihypertensive medications rose from 2.5 million to 10.5 million, with treatment adherence also improving from 0.6 million to 7.8 million individuals. In 2021, the predominant antihypertensive drug class was angiotensin receptor blockers (75.1%), followed by calcium channel blockers (61.7%), diuretics (23.4%), and beta blockers (15.3%). Notably, 60.2% of all antihypertensive prescriptions involved combination therapy with at least two classes of antihypertensive medication. There was a positive trend towards stricter blood pressure control targets (systolic/diastolic blood pressure < 130/80 mmHg) among elderly hypertensive patients, as well as those with diabetes, obesity, and high-risk hypertension. However, this trend declined in individuals aged 80 years or older and those with chronic kidney disease in recent years.

CONCLUSION

In Korea, hypertension management is making strides, yet the total number of hypertensive individuals is rising. Effectively addressing the growing population of elderly hypertensive patients and the persistently low treatment rates among younger individuals with hypertension is a critical challenge. Additionally, developing more efficient and customized policies for blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease prevention is imperative.

Temporal Trends, Risk Factors, and Clinical Outcomes of De Novo Lymphoproliferative Disorders After Heart Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in heart transplant (HTx) recipients. However, previous studies of PTLD after HTx are limited to single-center analyses or extrapolated from all solid organ transplantations.

OBJECTIVES

The authors analyzed the temporal trends, risk factors, and clinical outcome of de novo PTLD specifically after HTx.

METHODS

Using multi-institutional, multinational data from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry, the authors evaluated the real-world data of PTLD after HTx, transplanted between January 2000 and June 2015. Multivariable analysis was done to identify risk factors for PTLD development after HTx.

RESULTS

Among 28,136 HTx recipients, 1,069 (3.8%) developed PTLD within 10 years of transplantation. PTLD showed a bimodal age pattern with peak incidence in patients of pediatric age and late adulthood at transplantation. The early transplant era (2000-2007 vs 2008-2015), male recipient, and EBV donor-positive-recipient-negative match were independent risk factors of PTLD development within 3 years of transplantation, whereas maintenance therapy with cyclosporine vs tacrolimus at initial discharge was associated with a lower incidence. PTLD development within 3 years of transplantation was significantly associated with mortality (HR: 2.42 [95% CI: 2.01-2.91]; P < 0.001). Survival after PTLD diagnosis was higher in the recent transplant era.

CONCLUSIONS

PTLD is relatively rare, but potentially fatal, post-transplant malignancy. PTLD incidence and mortality after HTx have decreased in the recent era. Strategies to minimize the risk of PTLD, and ensure early diagnosis and effective treatment are likely to improve outcomes in HTx.

Incidence and case fatality of acute myocardial infarction in Korea, 2011-2020

OBJECTIVES

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality worldwide, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is particularly fatal condition. We evaluated the incidence and case fatality rates of AMI in Korea from 2011 to 2020.

METHODS

We utilized data from the National Health Insurance Services to calculate crude, age-standardized, and age-specific incidence rates, along with 30-day and 1-year case fatality rates, of AMI from 2011 to 2020. Age-standardized incidence rates were determined using direct standardization to the 2005 population.

RESULTS

The crude incidence rate of AMI per 100,000 person-years consistently increased from 44.7 in 2011 to 68.3 in 2019, before decreasing slightly to 66.2 in 2020. The age-standardized incidence rate of AMI displayed a 19% rise from 2011 to 2019, followed by a slight decline in 2020. The increasing trend for AMI incidence was more pronounced in males than in females. Both 30-day and 1-year case fatality rates remained stable among younger individuals but showed a decrease among older individuals. There was a minor surge in case fatality in 2020, particularly among recurrent AMI cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the past decade, the AMI incidence rate in Korea has consistently increased, with a slight downturn in 2020. The case fatality rate has remained relatively stable except for a minor increase in 2020. This study provides data for continuous surveillance, the implementation of targeted interventions, and the advancement of research aimed at AMI in Korea.

Sex Differences in Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From the KoRean wOmen'S chest pain rEgistry (KoROSE)

Interest in sex differences in coronary artery disease (CAD) has been steadily increasing. Concurrently, most of the data on these differences have primarily been Western-oriented. The KoRean wOmen'S chest pain rEgistry (KoROSE), started in 2011, has since published numerous research findings. This review aims to summarize the reported differences between men and women in CAD, integrating data from KoROSE. Cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women escalates dramatically due to the decrease in estrogen levels, which normally offer cardiovascular protective effects. Lower estrogen levels can lead to abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, increased blood pressure, and endothelial dysfunction in older women. Upon analyzing patients with CAD, women are typically older and exhibit more cardiovascular risk factors than men. Diagnosing CAD in women tends to be delayed due to their symptoms being more atypical than men's. While in-hospital outcome was similar between sexes, bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary intervention occur more frequently in women. The differences in long-term prognosis for CAD patients between men and women are still a subject of ongoing debate. Pregnancy and reproductive factors also play a significant role as risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women. A notable sex disparity exists, with women found to use fewer cardiovascular protective drugs and undergo fewer interventional or surgical procedures than men. Additionally, women participate less frequently than men in clinical research. Through concerted efforts to increase awareness of sex differences and mitigate sex disparity, personalized treatment can be provided. This approach can ultimately improve patient prognosis.

Korea hypertension fact sheet 2022: analysis of nationwide population-based data with a special focus on hypertension in the elderly

BACKGROUND

The Korean Society of Hypertension has published the Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2022 to provide an overview of the magnitude and management status of hypertension and their recent trends.

METHODS

The Fact Sheets were based on the analyses of Korean adults aged 20 years or older of the 1998-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2002-2020 National Health Insurance Big Data.

RESULTS

As of 2020, 29.4% of the adult population aged 20 or older in Korea, about 12.6 million people, have high blood pressure, of which 5.0 million (40%) are 65 years of age or older and 1.2 million (10%) are 80 years of age or older. Among those with hypertension, the awareness rate is 69%, the treatment rate is 65%, and the control rate is 47%. The number of people diagnosed with hypertension increased from 3.0 million in 2002 to 10.5 million in 2020. During the same period, the number of people using antihypertensive medication increased from 2.5 million to 9.9 million, and the number of people adherent to treatment increased from 0.6 million to 7.4 million. Among those treated for hypertension in 2020, 74% used angiotensin blockers, 61% used calcium channel blockers, 24% used diuretics, and 15% used beta blockers. Combination therapy with at least two classes of antihypertensive medication consisted of 60% of all antihypertensive prescriptions. The number of people with hypertension aged 65 or older is increasing very rapidly compared to those aged 20-64. Awareness and treatment rates of hypertension improved rapidly, especially in those aged 65 or older, but the rate of improvement slowed since 2012.

CONCLUSIONS

In Korea, the level of hypertension management is improving, but the absolute number of people with hypertension, especially elderly hypertension, is increasing due to the rapid aging of the population. It is necessary to develop more efficient and target-specific policies to control blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Spousal concordance of ideal cardiovascular health metrics: findings from the 2014-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

BACKGROUNDS

We aimed to investigate whether a spouse's cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics status affects the other spouse's ideal CVH using a Korea nationwide representative survey.

METHODS

We used the health data of 6,030 married couples who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2014 to 2019. The CVH was defined using seven metrics: smoking status, blood pressure, body mass index, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, physical activity, and diet, following the American Heart Association guidelines and modifications for body mass index cutoffs and diet quality. The CVH score was calculated on a scale ranging from 0 to 7, with the ideal CVH defined as attaining ideal scores in at least five CVH metrics. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess whether husband's ideal CVH was associated with his wife's odds for having ideal CVH, and vice versa.

RESULTS

The mean CVH scores were 3.2 and 4.0 for husband and wife, respectively. After fully adjusting for age and education of both partners and household income, husbands had 1.49 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.69) higher odds of achieving ideal CVH if their wives had also achieved ideal CVH. Meanwhile, wives whose husbands achieved ideal CVH also had 1.46 times (95% CI, 1.27-1.69) higher odds of achieving ideal CVH. Nonsmoking (57.17%), ideal fasting blood glucose level (34.93%), and ideal diet intake (24.18%) were the most concordant CVH metrics among spouses.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found a significant spousal concordance of ideal CVH in Korean married couples. This finding supports the use of a couple-based interventional strategy targeted to promote CVH.

Effect of primary care-level chronic disease management policy on self-management of patients with hypertension and diabetes in Korea

AIMS

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of introducing a regional chronic disease management project on the self-management of patients with hypertension and diabetes.

METHODS

This study included 174,546 patients. The relationship between introducing chronic disease management in a region and the self-awareness of disease status was analyzed using a generalized estimating equation model. Poisson regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of policy adoption on medication adherence and risk-reduction behavior in patients with hypertension and diabetes. Finally, we used a difference-in-differences model to assess the net effectiveness of policies.

RESULTS

Overall, regions with policies implemented showed more condition awareness and drug adherence than those without; however, this was only significant in regions where patients and physicians were incentivized. Risk-reduction behavior for patients with diabetes was higher in regions with policies implemented than in those without. The policy had a net effect of significantly and non-significantly increasing disease awareness and medication adherence, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Chronic disease management policies at the primary care level that incentivized both patients and physicians improved patient self-management. However, the effects on patients with diabetes and hypertension differed. Future studies should account for additional patient outcomes, including long-term impact assessments and clinical outcomes.

End-of-Life Care for End-stage Heart Failure Patients

Although recent heart failure (HF) guidelines highlight integrative palliative care, including end-of-life (EOL), appropriate discussing EOL issues can be challenging due to possibility of unexpected deterioration throughout HF trajectory. Open communication and discussions with multidisciplinary team are important for setting patient and family expectations and establishing mutually agreed goals of care based firmly on the patient’s ‘human dignity’ and ‘right to self-determination.’ Especially when quality-of-life outweighs expanding quantity-of-life, transition to EOL care should be considered. Advanced care planning including resuscitation, device deactivation, site for last days, and bereavement support should focus on ensuring a good death, and be reviewed regularly.

Efforts to improve end-of-life (EOL) care have generally been focused on cancer patients, but high-quality EOL care is also important for patients with other serious medical illnesses including heart failure (HF). Recent HF guidelines offer more clinical considerations for palliative care including EOL care than ever before. Because HF patients can experience rapid, unexpected clinical deterioration or sudden death throughout the disease trajectory, choosing an appropriate time to discuss issues such as advance directives or hospice can be challenging in real clinical situations. Therefore, EOL issues should be discussed early. Conversations are important for understanding patient and family expectations and developing mutually agreed goals of care. In particular, high-quality communication with patient and family through a multidisciplinary team is necessary to define patient-centered goals of care and establish treatment based on goals. Control of symptoms such as dyspnea, pain, anxiety/depression, fatigue, nausea, anorexia, and altered mental status throughout the dying process is an important issue that is often overlooked. When quality-of-life outweighs expanding quantity-of-life, the transition to EOL care should be considered. Advanced care planning including resuscitation (i.e., do-not resuscitate order), device deactivation, site for last days and bereavement support for the family should focus on ensuring a good death and be reviewed regularly. It is essential to ensure that treatment for all HF patients incorporates discussions about the overall goals of care and individual patient preferences at both the EOL and sudden changes in health status. In this review, we focus on EOL care for end-stage HF patients.

Ten-year trends of clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: a Korean nationwide longitudinal cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a key quality measurement in clinical practice. This study investigated the 10-year trends of mortality following PCI in an unselected nationwide cohort.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

A nationwide study in South Korea.

PARTICIPANTS

PCI claim data from 2006 to 2015 of the National Health Insurance Service and the Statistics of Korea.

MEASURES

1-year cardiovascular or non-cardiovascular death.

RESULTS

In total, 437 436 patients were included. The annual number of PCI cases increased from 32 098 to 51 990 over the decade studied (p<0.001). Patients were divided into quartile subgroups according to an estimated adjusted probability for predicting 1-year all-cause death. The proportion of patients in the high-risk quartiles increased whereas those in the low-risk quartiles decreased (p<0.001). The 1-year cumulative incidence rate of all-cause death did not change in the population with risk scores in the 1st (0.9% to 0.8%) and 2nd (1.3% to 1.3%) quartiles, whereas it increased in the population with risk scores in the 3rd (3.4% to 5.1%) and 4th (15.5% to 19.4%) quartiles (p<0.001). Compared with year 2006, the mean survival time in year 2015 was shorter by 0, 3.3 and 12.4 days in patients with risk scores in the 1st or 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartiles, respectively. These findings were also consistent for cardiovascular or non-cardiovascular deaths.

CONCLUSION

The number, proportion and the overall risk of patients with a high risk for mortality after PCI increased over the decade in Korea.

Prevalence and prognosis of refractory hypertension diagnosed using ambulatory blood pressure measurements

The prognosis of refractory hypertension is largely unknown due to its low prevalence. This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of refractory hypertension and compare it with those of resistant and nonresistant hypertension. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 16,284 participants with hypertension who underwent ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring between 2012 and 2019 at a tertiary center. Uncontrolled BP was defined as a 24-h BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg as assessed by ambulatory BP monitoring. Resistant hypertension was defined as uncontrolled BP despite the use of three antihypertensive medications, including a diuretic or the use of ≥4 drugs regardless of BP control. Refractory hypertension was defined as uncontrolled BP despite the use of ≥5 antihypertensive medications. Among 16,284 patients with hypertension (mean age 59.2 ± 15.5 years, 52.7% men), 1501 (9.2%) and 150 (0.9%) patients had resistant and refractory hypertension, respectively. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, heart failure, previous stroke, left ventricular hypertrophy, and the riser/nondipper patterns of circadian BP rhythm progressively increased from patients with nonresistant hypertension to patients with resistant hypertension to patients with refractory hypertension. During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, the risk of cardiovascular mortality progressively increased from patients with nonresistant hypertension to patients with resistant hypertension (hazard ratio 1.62, 95% confidence interval 1.16-2.26) to patients with refractory hypertension (hazard ratio 5.22, 95% confidence interval 3.04-8.96). In conclusion, refractory hypertension, defined as uncontrolled ambulatory BP levels, was associated with a higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than nonresistant or resistant hypertension.

Current Unmet Needs and Clues to the Solution in the Management of Tricuspid Regurgitation

The clinical importance of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has been recently highlighted. However, there remain several unmet needs with the diagnosis and treatment of TR. The major dilemma is a delayed treatment decision and an intervention at an advanced stage. Other important unmet needs are limitations in diagnostic imaging modalities, ambiguity in the guidelines regarding the interventional criteria, high surgical mortality, uncertainty in the reversibility of the right ventricle, and lack of long-term clinical data after the intervention. We have discussed such overall aspects of TR, the problems frequently experienced by clinical physicians and future strategies to improve the treatment of TR.

Although tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a general medical issue with growing prevalence and socioeconomic burden, most clinicians have not paid much attention to TR in the past. Several problems of TR have been pointed out in clinical practice, which include: ambiguous clinical manifestations and the difficulty in initial detection, limitations in generally used diagnostic tools, the absence of objective criterion for therapeutic intervention, high operative morbidity and mortality, and lack of long-term clinical data after the intervention for TR. Therefore, patients with TR usually visit clinicians at a much-advanced state, and this delay gives a major dilemma in clinical decision-making in a routine clinical practice. To improve the clinical outcome of TR, we need more knowledge about TR for solving the current problems and making strategies for better clinical practice. With this background, we have discussed in the present article about the pathophysiology of TR and the problems frequently experienced by clinical physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of TR. Furthermore, we have discussed the future strategy to improve the treatment of TR.

NATIONAL TRENDS IN MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES AND STROKES

OBJECTIVE

The aim: To determine national trends in morbidity and mortality from diseases of the circulatory system, cerebrovascular diseases and strokes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: Data from official sources of statistical information of Ukraine were used and systematic analysis and generalization of the obtained data was performed and trends in morbidity and mortality from diseases of the circulatory system, cerebrovascular diseases and strokes in Ukraine were calculated.

RESULTS

Results: Were found tendencies to decrease of national levels of prevalence and primary morbidity in Ukraine for DCS (-16.3 % and -28.0 %), CVD (-22.8 % and 24.1 %) and strokes (-12.2 %) with significant trends (+83.9 %) of increase in primary incidence of strokes in 2010-2017 with fairly high and threatening levels for 2017 (respectively 22199563, 2521601 and 96978 - prevalence and 1725137, 290557 and 96978 - primary incidence). National levels of reduction of deaths from DCS in Ukraine from 440369 (2013) to 389348 (2019) with a trend of -11.6 % and a decrease in mortality due to CVD from 94267 (2013) to 76232 (2019) with a trend -19.1 % were found.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: The trends to reduce of national prevalence, primary morbidity and mortality rates in Ukraine for DCS, CVD and stroke are fully consistent with other global trends of reduction of these levels among world countries.

Trends in Regional Disparity in Cardiovascular Mortality in Korea, 1983–2019

Mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) had been significantly improved in several decades. However, the recent reduction was slowed down, and the burden remained high. Understanding regional disparity in cardiovascular deaths would help facilitate the improvement. Thus, we investigated geographic variation in CVD mortality and its spatiotemporal trend in Korea between 1983 and 2019. The findings showed higher mortality in the southeastern regions, while the regional disparity converged over time. It suggested that these regions call for action in terms of prevention and management of CVDs, in addition to an effort to reduce the death rates in other regions.

Background and Objectives

Despite remarkable reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, the burden has remained the leading cause of death. Since little research has focused on regional disparity in CVD mortality, this study aims to investigate its spatiotemporal trends in Korea from 1983 to 2019.

Methods

Using the causes of death statistics in Korea, we analyzed the geographic variation in deaths from CVDs from 1983 to 2019. The sex and age-standardized mortality rate was calculated according to the 17 administrative regions. The analyses include all diseases of the circulatory system (International Classification of Diseases-10 codes, I00–I99), along with the following 6 subcategories which were not mutually exclusive: total heart disease (I00–I13 and I20–I51), hypertensive heart disease (I10–I13), ischemic heart disease (I20–I25), myocardial infarction (I21–I23), heart failure (I50), and cerebrovascular disease (I60–I69).

Results

Overall, heart failure death rate increased across all regions, and other CVD death rates showed a decreasing trend. Regional disparity in mortality was substantial in the early 1980s but converged over time. In all types of cardiovascular mortality, Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam remained the highest, although they showed a downward trend like other regions. Jeju continued to have a relatively low CVD mortality rate.

Conclusions

The regional disparity substantially decreased compared to the 1980s. However, the relatively high burden of CVD mortality in the southeastern region has not been fully resolved.

Sex- and Age-Specific Trends in Cardiovascular Health in Korea, 2007-2018

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

We illustrated sex- and age-specific temporal trends in cardiovascular health among Korean adults.

METHODS

From the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2018, we included 61,408 participants aged 20 years or older. The ideal levels of 6 components of cardiovascular health metrics were defined as never-smoking, ≥75 min/week of vigorous or ≥150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, body mass index (BMI) <23 kg/m², total cholesterol <200 mg/dL, blood pressure (BP) <120/80 mmHg, and fasting glucose <100 mg/dL. Temporal trends in the number of ideal cardiovascular health components and distribution of each component were assessed by sex and age.

RESULTS

The average number of ideal cardiovascular health components decreased from 3.37 in 2007-2009 to 2.86 in 2016-2018. Never smoking increased from 56.0% to 59.2%, largely contributed by young men. Ideal physical activity halved (41.4-21.3%); such decline was more pronounced in women and with older age. Ideal BMI decreased from 44.3% to 42.2%, more apparently in young and elderly men. In contrast, ideal BMI increased in middle-aged and elderly women. Ideal cholesterol decreased from 65.5% to 50.3%, profoundly in young adults and relatively greater in men. Ideal BP declined from 55.1% to 46.9%, more evidently in men. However, ideal BP discernibly increased in middle-aged women. Ideal glucose decreased from 74.6% to 66.0%, comparatively greater and earlier in men.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of Korean adults with ideal cardiovascular health decreased between 2007 and 2018, but the course of responsible factors differed across sex and age groups.

Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in Korea

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and a major contributor to disability worldwide. Currently, Korea is among countries with the lowest CVD mortality rates, and the age-adjusted CVD mortality rate is still decreasing. However, depending on the CVD type, the mortality and incidence trends vary. Without age-standardization, cerebrovascular disease mortality peaked in 1994 (82.1 per 100K) and continued to decline until 2018 (44.7 per 100K), while heart disease mortality recorded the lowest level in 2001 (44.9 per 100K) then increased again until 2018 (74.5 per 100K). Age-standardized mortality rates showed different trends: both cerebrovascular disease and heart disease mortality rates have declined over the past few decades, although the rate of decline varies. Based on the National Health Insurance claim database, the numbers of hospitalization for cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease are increasing, but the age-standardized hospitalization rates are decreasing. Unlike other types of CVDs, heart failure is rapidly increasing in both mortality and hospitalization rates regardless of age-standardization. Seventy percent of Korean adults have at least one risk factor, 41% have ≥ 2 risk factors, and 19% have ≥ 3 risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and smoking. Exposure to multiple risk factors increases with age, with 65% of senior citizens over 70 having ≥ 2 risk factors and 34% having ≥ 3 risk factors. As the elderly population, especially those with multiple risk factors and chronic disorders, is increasing, the management of this high-risk group will be an important challenge to prevent CVD in Korea.

Korea Heart Disease Fact Sheet 2020: Analysis of Nationwide Data

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. To provide an overview of the temporal trends in the burden of CVD, the Korean Society of Cardiology has published the Korea Heart Disease Fact Sheet in 2020.

METHODS

We analyzed anonymized data of the Causes of Death Statistics, National Health Insurance Claims Database, and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess mortality, hospitalizations, and risk factors for CVD.

RESULTS

The CVD mortality decreased until 2010, then steadily increased up to 123 per 100,000 persons in 2018. Since 2002, the number and rate of CVD hospitalization have continued to grow. In 2018, approximately 12.1 million Korean adults had hypertension, 4.3 million had diabetes, 8.7 million had hypercholesterolemia, 14.9 million had obesity, and 8.8 million were currently smoking. The number of risk factors increased markedly with older age; 58.4% of adults age ≥70 years had ≥2 risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

CVD mortality and hospitalization have gradually increased in the last decade, and a substantially high proportion of adults were carrying more than 1 cardiovascular risk factor in 2018. With the rapid population aging, a continued increase in CVD appears inevitable in Korea. Concerted and sustained approaches are essential to achieve early prevention and reduce the burden of CVD.

Modifiable Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Korea and Japan

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and a major contributor to disability worldwide. Since the majority of cardiovascular events are preventable, identification of modifiable CVD risk factors and implementation of primordial prevention strategies should be a public health priority. In this aspect, the American Heart Association declared a strategic goal to reduce total CVD mortality in the US by 20% within 10 years via eliminating 7 major CVD risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, and poor-quality diet) in 2010, and their strategy has been achieving. However, the applicability of similar metrics to prevent CVD among East Asians requires an in-depth investigation of the modifiable CVD risk factors based on national and regional evidence-based findings. Herein, this review article aims to discuss several modifiable risk factors for CVDs, using epidemiological evidence from cohort studies and nationally representative data of 2 East Asian countries: Korea and Japan.