The Prevalence of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia in Korea: Using National Health Insurance Service Data

Abstract

Objectives To provide evidences for effective management and prevention of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) by analyzing the status of the prevalence of BPH in Korea. Methods This study was conducted on patients diagnosed with BPH from the claim data of the Korean National Health Insurance Service between 2012 and 2016. We calculated the age-standardization prevalence of patients with BPH and conducted comparative analysis by region and year. Results The prevalence of age-standardization was 10,847.09 per 100,000 population in 2012 (95% CI, 10,828.72–10,865.47) and 23,552.31 in 2016 (95% CI, 23,526.70–23,577.92). According to comparative analysis by administrative districts, the cumulative prevalence was the highest at in Daejeon (26,076.23, 95% CI, 25,912.82–26,239.64) and the lowest in Ulsan (20,966.97, 95% CI, 20,795.85–21,138.08) in 2016. Also, the proportion of patients who did not visit continuously was 23.5% in 2013 and 37.1% in 2016. Conclusions The prevalence of BPH increased by 46% in 2016 compared to 2012, and the prevalence increased with age. Therefore, in order to prevent BPH related health problem, it is necessary to develop a systematic management and preventive policy for a super-aged society. Key words: Age-standardization, Prevalence, Prostatic hyperplasia