Descriptive Epidemiology and Survival Analysis of Acromegaly in Korea

BACKGROUND: Acromegaly is a rare, slowly progressive disease. Its mechanism is not fully understood, and epidemiological research on Korean patients with acromegaly is scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and prevalence of acromegaly and assess the comorbidities and survival benefits based on treatment options. METHODS: This nationwide population-based cohort study was conducted using data of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment claims database to evaluate the incidence of newly diagnosed acromegaly cases during 2013–2017. RESULTS: During the 5-year period, 1,093 patients were newly diagnosed with acromegaly. The average annual incidence was 4.2 cases per million per year, and the prevalence was 32.1 cases per million during this period. The incidence of hypertension was low after medical treatment (hazard ratio, 0.257; 95% confidence interval, 0.082–0.808; P = 0.020), but the incidence of diabetes showed no significant difference across treatment modalities. Over a period of 6 years since diagnosis, we found that patients treated for acromegaly had a significantly higher survival rate than those untreated (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The annual incidence rate of Korean patients with acromegaly was similar to that reported in previous studies. Using nationwide population data, our study emphasized the importance of treatment in acromegaly patients.