• Sang Hyuk Kim, Hyun Lee, Youlim Kim, Chin Kook Rhee, Kyung Hoon Min, Yong Il Hwang, Deog Kyeom Kim, Yong Bum Park, Kwang Ha Yoo, and Ji-Yong Moon.
• Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Gyeongju, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2023 Apr 10; 38 (14): e108e108.

BackgroundThe prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases with age, and aging is an important risk factor for COPD development. In the era of global aging, demographic information about the prevalence of and factors associated with COPD are important to establish COPD care plans. However, limited information is available in rapidly aging societies, including Korea.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional observational study using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2015-2019. We included 15,613 participants and analyzed trends of and factors associated with COPD.ResultsDuring the study period, the overall prevalence of COPD was 12.9%. Over five years, the yearly prevalence of COPD was fairly constant, ranging from 11.5% to 13.6%. Among individuals aged ≥ 70 years, nearly one-third met COPD diagnostic criteria. In the multivariable analysis, age 70 years or older was the most strong factor associated with COPD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 17.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.16-22.52; compared with age 40-49), followed by asthma (aOR, 3.39; 95% CI, 2.44-4.71), male sex (aOR, 2.64; 95% CI, 2.18-3.19), and current smokers (aOR, 2.60; 95% CI, 2.08-3.25). Additionally, ex-smokers, low income, decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 second %pred, and a history of pulmonary tuberculosis were associated with COPD. On the other hand, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m² (aOR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.54-0.71; compared with BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m²) had an inverse association with COPD.ConclusionRecent trends in the prevalence of COPD in South Korea are relatively stable. Approximately one-third of participants aged 70 years and older had COPD. Aging was the most important factor associated with COPD.© 2023 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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