Trends in the incidence and prevalence of dysphagia requiring medical attention among adults in South Korea, 2006–2016: A nationwide population study

The prevalence of dysphagia is increasing, resulting in socioeconomic burden, but previous reports have only been based on a limited populations. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the nationwide incidence and prevalence of dysphagia requiring medical attention to provide adequate information for healthcare planning and resource allocation. In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, the data of adults aged ≥20 years recorded from 2006 to 2016 were sourced from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Medical claim codes based on ICD-10-CM were used to define dysphagia and possible causes. The annual incidence and prevalence of dysphagia were calculated. Cox regression was used to estimate dysphagia risk in people with possible dysphagia etiology. Survival analysis was performed to estimate the mortality and hazard ratio of dysphagia. The crude annual incidence of dysphagia increased continuously from 7.14 in 2006 to 15.64 in 2016. The crude annual prevalence of dysphagia in 2006 was 0.09% and increased annually to 0.25% in 2016. Stroke (odds ratio [OR]: 7.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.76–6.68), neurodegenerative disease (OR: 6.20, 95% CI: 5.76–6.68), cancer (OR: 5.59, 95% CI: 5.17–6.06), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR: 2.94, 95% CI: 2.71–3.18) were associated with a high risk of dysphagia. The mortality in the dysphagia group was 3.12 times higher than that in the non-dysphagia group (hazard ratio: 3.12, 95% CI: 3.03–3.23). The incidence and prevalence of dysphagia requiring medical attention are increasing annually. The increasing trend was conspicuous in the geriatric population. The presence of stroke, neurodegenerative disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with a high risk of dysphagia. Therefore, adequate screening, diagnosis, and management of dysphagia in the older population must be emphasized in geriatric healthcare.