Increased 10-Year Prevalence of Huntington's Disease in South Korea: An Analysis of Medical Expenditure Through the National Healthcare System

Abstract

Background and Purpose This study aimed to determine the updated 10-year prevalence of Huntington's disease (HD) in South Korea and the medical and economic burdens across the duration of the disease.Methods Data from the National Health Insurance database during 2010-2019 were ana-lyzed. We identified HD cases using predefined criteria. Information on age at diagnosis, sex, and common nonneurological comorbidities were collected. We analyzed individual patterns of the use of medical services and yearly medical expenditure. Incidence rates, 10-year preva-lence rates, and longitudinal medical expenditure changes were assessed.Results New patients with HD (average=152.10) were detected every year, with an annual in-cidence of 0.29 per 100,000. The estimated 10-year prevalence of HD was 2.2 per 100,000. The most common ages at the time of diagnosis were 50-59 years (23.3%). In 2019, 56.4% of patients with HD were followed-up at referral or general hospitals, and 32.2% were managed at long-term-care hospitals. The annual medical cost for an individual was KRW 6,569,341 +/- 895,097 (mean +/- SD) (mean approximate to USD 5,653). Medical expenditure was the highest in those aged 60-79 years, and lowest in those younger than 30 years. However, in all age groups, the annual medical ex-penditure was highest during the 9 years following a diagnosis.Conclusions This study found that the actual prevalence of HD in South Korea was higher than previously thought and that patients are in a situation with high medical expenditure that persists over time.