Background The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of lung cancer and comorbidities in Korea and analyze the lung cancer patient’s characteristics and their comorbidities over the past 12 years. This study also aimed to investigate factors related to death as treatment outcome in discharged lung cancer patients. Methods This study analyzed the data obtained from the Korean National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey from 2006 to 2017. The quantity of discharged lung cancer patients was assessed by year. Comorbidities were limited to those included in the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI). A Chi-square test was performed to determine statistically significant differences in the distributions of the ECI and ECI scores according to the presence or absence of metastatic cancer. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze factors related to death as treatment outcome. Results From 2006 to 2017, the number of discharged male and female patients with lung cancer increased from 31,720 to 42,016 and 10,897 to 18,197, respectively. The increase in the number of lung cancer patients was greater in women than in men (67.0% vs. 32.5%, respectively). The most common associated comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary disease. The factors related to death as treatment outcome were found to include sex, admission route, number of hospital beds, length of stay, presence or absence of metastatic cancer, and ECI score. Conclusion The number of lung cancer patients in Korea has increased, and a high proportion of these patients have chronic diseases, which negatively would impact the treatment and outcome of lung cancer patients as well as their quality of life. Thus, the management of chronic diseases needs to be prioritized in patients with lung cancer.

We aimed to compare the characteristics and types of injuries affecting pediatric and elderly patients and to identify factors associated with treatment outcomes. We used data from the 2006–2017 Korea National Hospital Discharge Survey. The patients were divided into two groups, children (0–12 years) and elderly (≥65 years), based on their age at discharge. In total, 47,528 (11,842 children and 35,686 older adults) patients with injuries were identified. The number of deaths and the LOS were 36 (0.3%) and 7.6 days (±10.1), respectively, in the children group, and 861 (2.4%) and 18.5 days (±27.3), respectively, in the elderly group (p < 0.001). In the children group, there were increased odds for surgery among boys, Medicaid and health insurance subscribers, patients with multiple injuries, patients without a subdiagnosis, and an increasing number of hospital beds. In the elderly group, there were increased odds for surgery among women, Medicaid and health insurance subscribers, patients who died, patients with a single injury, patients with a subdiagnosis, and increasing numbers of hospital beds. Treatment outcomes could be improved by providing early diagnosis and prompt treatment in pediatric patients and by taking multilateral approaches for multiple injuries and comorbidities in elderly patients.

Despite the use of vaccines and various antibiotics, approximately 30% of the South Korean population is treated for pneumonia each year, and the number of deaths from pneumonia continues to increase. The present study used information on discharged patients in South Korea to investigate the number and characteristics of discharged pneumonia patients across 12 years. Using the Korean National Hospital Discharge In-Depth Injury Survey data, information on discharged patients from 2006 to 2017 were collected. The number of discharged pneumonia patients for each year and their age group was assessed, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index was used to assess the risk of comorbidities in these patients. The number of discharged pneumonia patients varied every year in South Korea. In particular, the total number of patients increased substantially in 2011, with a large increase in the number of infants and children. In addition, the number of discharged pneumonia patients increased in the elderly group compared to the other age groups. Moreover, a recent increase in the severity of comorbidities in pneumonia patients was noted. Given the continued increase in the number of elderly patients with pneumonia, chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, should be managed first in the elderly. Moreover, appropriate treatment methods should be selected based on the presence of comorbidities.