Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to describe the temporal trends in prevalence and management status of hypertension in Korea between 1998 and 2015. Data of adults who were aged 30 years or older were extracted from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationwide representative population-based survey. Hypertension was prevalent in 30.5% of Korean adults. The age and sex standardized prevalence showed little change between 1998 and 2015. The elderly population and men showed higher prevalence. The rates of awareness, treatment, and control showed substantial improvements among hypertensive subjects between 1998 and the time period of 2007‒2009 (awareness, from 23.5 to 66.3%; treatment, from 20.4 to 60.3%; and control, from 4.9 to 42.1%), after which the numbers reached a plateau and no significant changes were observed subsequently (67.3%, 63.6%, and 46.2%, respectively, between 2013 and 2015). The management status remained poor especially among the young population and in men. In conclusion, the hypertension prevalence remained stable at approximately 30% in Korea between 1998 and 2015. While awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension improved remarkably, the young population and particularly men showed a suboptimal management status.
Highlights
Hypertension is a leading health risk[1]
This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Seoul National University Hospital Institutional Review Board
67.3% were aware of their diagnosis, 63.6% received treatment, and 46.2% had adequately controlled blood pressure (BP)
Summary
Hypertension is a leading health risk[1]. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 40% of adults have hypertension[2]. Less than half of all individuals with elevated BP are aware of their diagnosis, and less than one third of those under treatment show adequately controlled BP6,7. The rates of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension have shown to vary according to the region, sex, income, and educational levels[6,8,9,10,11,12]. While it is of great importance to recognize the current status in hypertension diagnosis and treatment at the country level, there are limited data published from Korea[13,14]. This study aimed to report the temporal trends in the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Korea using the nationwide survey data from 1998 to 2015.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
