SEOUL, April 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of individuals with Parkinson’s disease in South Korea has been on a constant climb over the past five years.
The National Health Insurance Service reported that the number of patients with Parkinson’s disease grew from 96,764 people in 2016 to 111,312 people in 2020, up by 15 percent, and an average increase of 3.6 percent every year.
Among the individuals affected, 37.9 percent were men and women in their 70s, followed by those over 80 years of age (36.5 percent), and those in their 60s (18.7 percent).
Among the patients in their 70s, 39.6 percent were men, while 40.7 percent of the patients in their 80s were women, which was the highest rate among all age and gender groups.
In 2016, 191 in 100,000 South Koreans were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which grew to 217 people in 2020.
Among South Koreans in their 80s, 2,290 in 100,000 were diagnosed with the disease in 2020, which was the highest record among all age groups.
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