Trends in burden of work-related upper limb amputation in South Korea, 2004–2013: a nationwide retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to measure the burden of work-related upper limb amputation in Korea over a 10-year period and assess its trend. DESIGN: Ecological study. SETTING: National level data in Korea between 2004 and 2013. PARTICIPANTS: 49 535 subjects who claimed Korea industrial accident compensation insurance due to upper limb amputation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were calculated by sex, age and the site of amputation using annual incidence. RESULTS: The burden of work-related upper limb amputations in Korea reached its peak in 2007 and decreased thereafter. Males showed a higher burden of disease. Finger amputations showed a decreasing trend from 2007, whereas arm amputations continued to show an increasing trend. An increasing trend was found among participants older than 50 years. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in the burden of finger amputations may be attributable to the lower incidence as a result of policy efforts. The increase in the burden of arm amputations was particularly noticeable among the elderly population over 50 years old. This could be attributable to the high proportion of the elderly population working in the manufacturing sector and the lack of policy efforts regarding major amputations in Korea. Future regulatory efforts are needed to prevent amputations.