Epidemiological Studies on Diabetes Mellitus in Korea

Recently the number of diabetic patients in Korea is increasing conspicuously and the incidence seems to be unimaginably high. A) To study diabetes morbidity, first screening suvey on 3,673 in-patients of the whole Seoul National University Hospital. By giving glucose tolerance test to the patients with urine sugar positive, we discovered 15 diabetics. out of which 8 were previously known and 7 were new cases. The ratio of male to female was 2. 1; 1- Second screening test was given to the bank employees of a certain bank in Seoul. The postprandial urine sugar test followed by glucose tolerance test was given to 1, 174 employees and we discovered 30 diabetics among them. The ratio was 2.6%. Out of them 16 were previously known and 14 were new cases. For the past 13 years we have observed 1,650cases of diabetes in Seoul National University Hospital. Up to 1958 we had about O. 1% of diabetics among total medical patients, but during the past two or three years the number of diabetic patients has significantly increased- that is. it figured from almost 1, 2 to 1.8% and the average for the past 13 years is 0.9%. The patients consisted of 1, 12:: males and 528 females. The ratio is estima ted to be 2. 1; 1- B) The distritbuion of living diabetics by age and sex is as follows: the incidence of the 5th and 6 th decade each is about one third of total diabetic patients, and in male cases the highest incidence was in the 5th decade and the next was in 6th, 4th and 7th in respective order. In female cases, the highest incidence was in 6th decade and the next was in 5 th, 4th and 7th in respective order. Low incidence in young age below the 4th decade was a characteristic feature observed compared with that of Europeans. The distribution by age at onset was as follows: the highest frequency was in the 5th decade-namely, 35.5% and the next was in 6th, 4th, 7th and 3rd decade in respective order. In male cases, it was in the order of 5 th, 6th, 4 th and 7th decade. and in female cases it was in the order of 6th, 5th. 4th and 7th decade. The incidence was very low in young age group below 4th decade