Four-year nationwide incidence of retinitis pigmentosa in South Korea: a population-based retrospective study from 2011 to 2014

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in South Korea. DESIGN: Nationwide, population-based retrospective study. SETTING: Census population of South Korea PARTICIPANTS: This study involved the entire population of South Korea (n=47 990 761). Patients confirmed as having RP by an ophthalmologist from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2014 were included. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: The average incidence of RP during the 4-year study period was estimated using population data from the 2010 Korean census. RESULTS: A total of 3144 (1567 men and 1577 women) patients confirmed as having RP were identified. The average incidence of RP was 1.64 cases/100 000 person-years (95% CI 1.58 to 1.70). The incidence of RP distribution skewed to the left across age groups, with one smaller peak observed in the 20–24-year-old age group (1.24 cases/100 000 person-years) and a larger peak observed in the 65–69-year-old age group (3.26 cases/100 000 person-years). The overall incidence was similar in men and women (1.64 cases/100 000 person-years (95% CI 1.56 to 1.73) for men; 1.63 cases/100 000 person-years (95% CI 1.55 to 1.72) for women). CONCLUSIONS: Our study’s estimates of the nationwide population-based incidence of RP in an Asian population will help advance the understanding of the disease onset and allow healthcare systems to plan accordingly.