The number of persons with disabilities in Korea increased from 1,134,177 in 2001 to 2,511,051 in 2016. The proportion of disabled people is also reported to have increased from 2.4% to 4.9%, which has more than doubled over the past 15 years. In addition, there are some studies that the prevalence of chronic diseases is higher in disabled people than in non-disabled people. The disabled people are more likely to have secondary health problems. However, there are few studies that mentioned the temporal relationship between disability and health status and they have limitations that they are based on the questionnaire or limited to a certain period. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases in the persons with physical disability or brain lesion disability.
We enrolled persons with disability who have been registered first into the physical disability and brain lesion disability from 2009 to 2011. From 2002 to 2016, the data were analyzed based on the cohort data of the National Health Insurance Corporation. We considered that the subjects who were taking hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia medicine have these chronic diseases. Also, we assumed that it is the time of occurrence of disease when the subjects have started to take medicines.
The prevalence of chronic diseases increased dramatically for three years before and after the time of disability registration. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia increased gradually until two years before disability registration. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia gradually increased until two years before the time of disability registration, and then rapidly increased until the time of disability registration. After the time of the disability registration, it gradually increased again. The incidence of chronic diseases of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia increased sharply from two years before the disability registration to one year after the disability registration.
The prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia were significantly increased around the time of disability registration in the persons with physical disability or brain lesion disability. Considering the process for registration of disability in Korea, it can be considered that the incidence of chronic diseases are increased around the time of disability registration. Therefore, active health care is needed in the persons with disabilities. |
