Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence and incidence of sarcoidosis varies worldwide. We estimated the prevalence and incidence of sarcoidosis in Korea using nationwide claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.MethodsCases of sarcoidosis were identified for any visit between 2007 to 2016 that listed the Korean Classification of Disease, 7th edition code of sarcoidosis and rare incurable disease exempted calculation code. A narrow case definition was used as follows: 1) ≥ two sarcoidosis-coded visits within 1 year of the first claim, 2) no claims for other diseases that could form granuloma.ResultsA total of 4791 patients (narrow, n = 2388) visited medical institutions for sarcoidosis during the study period; 2999 patients (narrow, n = 1696) were newly identified between 2009 and 2015. The sarcoidosis prevalence was 9.37 per 105 people (narrow, 4.69) and was highest between ages 60–69 years. The incidence rate was 0.85 per 105 population at risk (narrow, 0.48), with the highest incidence rate between ages 50–59 years. For incident cases (mean age: 48.5 year), the age distribution in whole population and females showed monophasic patterns peaking at aged 50–59 years, while males had biphasic incidence peak at aged 30–39 years and 60–69 years. The annual incidence rates showed increasing trends from 0.85 per 105 population at risk in 2009 to 0.97 per 105 population at risk in 2015.ConclusionsIn comparison with previous reports, the prevalence and incidence of sarcoidosis in Korea have increased and middle-aged women showed the highest risk.
Highlights
The prevalence and incidence of sarcoidosis varies worldwide
In Korea, two nationwide surveys were conducted by the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease (KATRD) in 1992 and 2000 [14, 15]
Data source De-identified health claims data between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2016, were extracted from the database of the Health Insurance and Review Agency (HIRA). These data were primarily based on the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, which covers 97% of the Korean population; claims from the remaining 3% of the population were reviewed by the HIRA
Summary
The prevalence and incidence of sarcoidosis varies worldwide. We estimated the prevalence and incidence of sarcoidosis in Korea using nationwide claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. The highest incidence rates have been reported in Northern Europe (10–25 per 105 population at risk) [6,7,8] and in African Americans (18–40 per 105 population at risk) [9, 10]. Sarcoidosis usually occurs more frequently in females [8, 10,11,12], but male predominance has been observed in Northern Europe [7, 13]. In Korea, two nationwide surveys were conducted by the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease (KATRD) in 1992 and 2000 [14, 15]. The development of new diagnostic tools and increasing health screening may have resulted in significant epidemiological changes in recent years
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