Increased Tuberculosis Burden Due to Demographic Transition in Korea from 2001 to 2010.
10.4046/trd.2013.74.3.104
- Author:
Young Kil PARK
1
;
Yoon Sung PARK
;
Kyoung In NA
;
En Hi CHO
;
Sang Sook SHIN
;
Hee Jin KIM
Author Information
1. Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Cheongwon, Korea. ypark7@empas.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Tuberculosis;
Population Dynamics;
Aging
- MeSH:
Aged;
Aging;
Humans;
Korea;
Population Dynamics;
Population Growth;
Tuberculosis
- From:Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
2013;74(3):104-110
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Notified tuberculosis (TB) cases in Korea have not decreased over the last decade (2001-2010). METHODS: To clarify the reasons, we analyzed an annual report on notified tuberculosis patients and age-specific population drift in Korea. RESULTS: Compared 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. CONCLUSION: Korea needs to pay attention to the older population in order to successfully decrease the burden of TB in the future.
