Prevalence and treatment status of diabetes mellitus in Korea

Background: The number of patients with diabetes mellitus in Korea has exceeded 6 million. Considering approximately 15.83 million patients in the prediabetic stage, more than 20 million Koreans have diabetes or are at risk of diabetes. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and treatment status of diabetes mellitus in Korea based on sex and age.Current Concepts: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Korea is higher in men than in women. Men develop diabetes at a younger age (30s and 40s), whereas women develop diabetes in their 50s after menopause. The rate of comorbidities, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia is higher in women than in men. Globally, more men develop diabetes than women; however, men develop diabetes at a younger age and at a lower body mass index. In contrast, women develop diabetes at a later age because female sex hormones play a protective role against obesity and metabolic diseases until menopause after which women tend to gain weight and develop insulin resistance. Therefore, women with diabetes have poorer metabolic markers such as abdominal obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia than those observed in men. Discussion and Conclusion: Prevention and control measures for patients with diabetes should be age- and sex-specific. The high prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in men aged <50 years suggests that prevention measures are more important. In contrast, women aged <50 years with premenopausal diabetes should be more vigilant regarding weight, comorbidity, and diabetes management.