Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Gastrointestinal Diseases in Korean Americans and Native Koreans Undergoing Screening Endoscopy

Abstract

Background/AimsIn South Korea, health check-ups are readily accessible to the public. We aimed to compare the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal (GI) and lower GI diseases in Korean Americans and native Koreans to determine differences and risk factors.MethodsIn total, 1,942 subjects who visited Gangnam Severance Hospital from July 2008 to November 2010 for a health check-up were enrolled. Basic characteristics and laboratory data for the subjects were collected. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were performed. In total, 940 Korean Americans (group 1) and 1,002 native Koreans (group 2) were enrolled.ResultsThe overall prevalence of GI diseases for each group (group 1 vs group 2) were as follows: reflux esophagitis (RE) (9.65% vs 7.9%), gastric ulcer (2.8% vs 3.4%), duodenal ulcer (2.3% vs 3.6%), gastric cancer (0.4% vs 0.3%), colorectal polyp (35.9% vs 35.6%), colorectal cancer (0.5% vs 0.5%), and hemorrhoids (29.4% vs 21.3%). The prevalence of hemorrhoids was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (p=0.001). In the multivariable analysis of group 1, male sex, age over 50 years, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia predicted colorectal polyps. Male sex and high fasting glucose levels were associated with RE.ConclusionsOur study showed that the prevalence of GI diseases (except hemorrhoids) in Korean Americans was similar to that observed in native Koreans. Therefore, the Korean guidelines for upper and lower screening endoscopy may be applicable to Korean Americans.

Women Who Sleep More Have Reduced Risk of Peptic Ulcer Disease; Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008–2009)

“…PUD requires endoscopic confirmation, which suggests that some of the subjects in our study may not have had PUD. However, the incidence of endoscopically confirmed PUD has been reported to be between 2–10% in Korea, which suggests that our study may not have overestimated PUD incidence34353637. Also, as the lifetime screening rate for stomach cancer during the study period was about 65%, we believe that many of our subjects had been diagnosed with PUD by endoscopy38.…”

Study on prevalence and surgical management of haemorrhoids in a tertiary care teaching hospital in a rural area

“…Many similar studies have shown the same results. [16][17][18] There is no scientific interpretation regarding the predominance in the male. However, many female patients hesitate to report to the hospital for the treatment of haemorrhoid and thus the recorded prevalence rate is less in them.…”

Screening high‐risk populations for esophageal and gastric cancer

“…Studies show that Koreans born in the United States have similar GC risk as native Koreans, with some experts advocating the screening of Asian Americans according to Asian guidelines . However, other studies comparing foreign‐born to US‐born Blacks and Hispanics demonstrate significant differences in incidence, tumor subtypes, and location, suggesting distinct disease entities that rely more on country of origin .…”

“…Given the significant differences in GC incidence and mortality rates among different racial groups in the United States, targeted screening strategies may be implemented in certain groups. A comparison of gastrointestinal disease prevalence in Korean Americans and native Koreans demonstrated similar rates of GC (0.3% vs 0.4%), suggesting that Korean Americans may benefit from screening more akin to that of the nationwide programs in Asia . Other experts would argue for a one‐time endoscopy at the age of 50 for first‐ or second‐generation immigrants from a high‐incidence region (eg, East Asia, Russia, or South America) .…”