Increased Tuberculosis Burden Due to Demographic Transition in Korea from 2001 to 2010

Abstract

BackgroundNotified tuberculosis (TB) cases in Korea have not decreased over the last decade (2001-2010).MethodsTo clarify the reasons, we analyzed an annual report on notified tuberculosis patients and age-specific population drift in Korea.ResultsCompared to the age-specific notified TB cases between 2001 and 2010, distinctive features in notified TB cases and new cases increased markedly in people aged 45-54 years and in patients over 65 years old, whereas those between 15-34 years in 2010 decreased drastically. In particular, notified TB individuals over 65 years old occupied 29.6% of the cases in 2010, which was 1.5 times higher than that in 2001. The main reason not to decrease in notified TB patients for the last decade (2001-2010) was due to the increasing elderly population as well as the aging of baby boomers, which have a higher risk of TB development.ConclusionKorea needs to pay attention to the older population in order to successfully decrease the burden of TB in the future.

A Pilot Project of Systematic Tuberculosis Screening in the Elderly in a South Korean Province

“…Similar problems have been reported in countries with a low TB incidence, including the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, as well as in those with a high TB incidence, including China and India56789. The proportion of individuals newly infected with TB increased in the elderly population from 2001 to 2010, whereas the proportion of individuals newly infected with TB in other age groups has started to decline10. Additionally, according to the study conducted by Kim and Yim11, when the age group with the highest risk of TB becomes ≥65 years of age in 2020, the overall TB prevalence rate is likely to increase again and TB in the elderly could become an even greater issue in South Korea.…”

Analysis of discrepant results between the Genotype® MTBDRplus assay and an antimicrobial drug susceptibility test for isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis

“…The incidence of TB remains high worldwide, with 9.6 million new cases and 1.5 million deaths in 2014 [2]. Although the incidence of TB is declining, it remains a major problem in South Korea, where a plateau of approximately 100 new cases per 100,000 persons has been reached in the past decade [3].…”

Achievements in and Challenges of Tuberculosis Control in South Korea

“…The elderly population in South Korea has steadily increased over the last 3 decades. Such demographic transition is reflected in the increased number and proportion of TB patients >65 years of age, rising from 9,322 (20.2%) in 2001 to 15,227 (33.6%) in 2013 (Figure 3) ( 17 , 21 ). Among South Korea residents >60 years of age without radiographic evidence of prior TB, 67.2% were found to have latent TB ( 22 ).…”

“…In 2013, there was a marked increase in the number of cases among persons 45–54 and > 65 years of age. Figure adapted from ( 21 ). …”