Disease burden and epidemiologic characteristics of injury in Korea

Seunghee Jun, Hyunjin Park, Ui Jeong Kim, Hyesook Park

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Injury is a major public health concern because it is a major cause of death and may cause lifelong disabilities. New environmental risk factors, such as extreme climates, are now emerging, and the vulnerable elderly population is rapidly growing. Therefore, understanding the epidemiological characteristics and trends of injury is necessary to establish preventive policies and actions. Current Concepts: Injury accounts for 13.3% of the disease burden in Korea, which is higher than the global proportion (9.8%). In addition, in 2019, the life years lost due to injury in Korea was 973,030, which is also higher than in the other 37 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Mortality due to injury has shown a downward trend, while mortality due to falls has shown an upward trend since 2010. Mortality due to injury in Korea is higher than the OECD average, and mortality due to intentional self-harm was the highest. Intentional self-harm accounts for 50.8% of deaths due to injury. In hospitalization due to injury, falls account for the largest proportion (38.5%) and frequently occur in older adults. Discussion and Conclusion: Although the mortality rate of injury is decreasing, the magnitude of injury in Korea is still higher than the OECD average. We hope these findings are used as basic data to find a targeted approach for injury prevention.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)649-654
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the Korean Medical Association
Volume65
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Korean Medical Association.

Keywords

  • Burden of disease
  • Epidemiology
  • Hospitalization
  • Injuries
  • Mortality

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