Trends in Infectious Disease Mortality, South Korea, 1983–2015

Abstract

We used national statistics from 1983–2015 to evaluate trends in mortality caused by infectious diseases in South Korea. Age-standardized mortality from infectious disease decreased from 43.5/100,000 population in 1983 to 16.5/100,000 in 1996, and then increased to 44.6/100,000 in 2015. Tuberculosis was the most common cause of death in 1983 and respiratory tract infections in 2015. We observed a significant decline in infant deaths caused by infectious diseases, but mortality in persons age >65 years increased from 135 deaths/100,000 population in 1996 to 307/100,000 in 2015. The relative inequality indices for respiratory tract infections, sepsis, and tuberculosis tended to increase over time. Although substantial progress has been achieved in terms of infant mortality, death rates from infectious disease has not decreased overall. Elderly populations with lower education levels and subgroups susceptible to respiratory infections and sepsis should be the focus of preventive policies.

Trends in female lifespan in South Korea, 1987–2016

“…The death rates from all causes in South Korea decreased significantly in both genders in the last three decades except for a period following the economic crisis in the late 1990s (Lim et al 2014). Looking at the trends in infectious disease mortality for South Korea, 1983Korea, -2015, infant mortality caused by infectious diseases has substantially decreased, while death rates from infectious disease for elderly populations with lower education levels and subgroups susceptible to respiratory infections and sepsis has not decreased overall (Choe et al 2018).…”

How large should a cause of death be in order to be included in mortality trend analysis? Deriving a cut-off point from retrospective trend analyses in 21 European countries

“…COD data are used in widely varying settings, ranging from detailed mortality profiles to macro estimates. Applications include studies in localised areas,29 single countries30 or worldwide2 31; for a single-disease32 33 or disease group9; monitored for days or a long-term period7; for specific age groups33 34 or specific situations (eg, maternal mortality,5 external causes35–37). These settings all impose different requirements on the collected data.…”

“…For example, neoplasms have been shown to be more gradual in their annual changes,6 whereas infectious diseases7 may have high year-to-year variation. As regards to different populations, the likelihood to detect a long-term trend for a COD may vary between countries because of differences in population size, COD coding practices that may also influence observed mortality trends,8 trends in prevalence of risk factors,9–12 implementation of new prevention strategies,13 14 treatment protocols5 or healthcare reforms 15…”

Stretched Exponential Survival Analysis for South Korean Females

“…The death rates from all causes in South Korea decreased significantly in both genders in the last three decades except for a period following the economic crisis in the late 1990s [31]. Looking at the trends in infectious disease mortality for South Korea, 1983−2015, infant mortality caused by infectious diseases has substantially decreased, while death rates from infectious disease for elderly populations with lower education levels and subgroups susceptible to respiratory infections and sepsis has not decreased overall [32]. The potential reasons for South Korea may be plausible but not for other countries.…”