Surgical Diseases in North Korea: An Overview of North Korean Medical Journals.

Sejin Choi,Taehoon Kim,Soyoung Choi,Hee Young Shin

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249346

Sejin Choi, Taehoon Kim + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249346

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Abstract

Information regarding surgical diseases in North Korea is not fully reported despite their clear clinical significance. The current study aimed to indirectly assess the contemporary research trends and medical infrastructure related to surgical diseases in North Korea. We analyzed and categorized articles from the journal Surgery that were published during the Kim Jong-un era (2012–2018). The framework for categorization was primarily based on disease entities, surgical specialty, and research methodology. A total of 1792 articles in 28 issues were included in the current study. The frequency of detailed surgical cases and their associated characteristics based on their specialty were investigated. The types of medical imaging techniques and anesthetics that were commonly utilized in clinical fields in North Korea were also evaluated. A large proportion of essential surgeries were covered, with the exception of those for congenital diseases; however, a lack of surgical techniques and infrastructure was revealed. Going forward, further evaluation of the surgical system and a greater focus on non-communicable diseases in North Korea are needed.

Highlights

Information on the health and disease status of 24 million North Koreans is largely unknown due to limited access to the country itself [1]
In the North Korean journal Surgery [Oegwa], between 2012 and 2018, an issue was published every quarter with an average of 64 articles per issue
The current study revealed the trends of research conducted in North Korea in the surgical field reflected the status and characteristics of surgical diseases in North Korea

Summary

Introduction

Information on the health and disease status of 24 million North Koreans is largely unknown due to limited access to the country itself [1]. A small number of people have witnessed. North Korean healthcare, which is primarily confined to the capital city of North Korea, Pyongyang. There are a limited number of peer-reviewed articles written in English by North Korean medical researchers, confounding the ability to capture the full picture. Some limited facts are known regarding the health of individuals in North Korea, including the average life expectancy of 71.69 years as of 2016 and the number one cause of death, which is cardiovascular disease [2,4]. The limited reports available about North Korea have disproportionately focused on nutritional issues and communicable diseases, including parasitic diseases and tuberculosis [5–9]

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