Longitudinal trends in schizophrenia among older adults: a 12-year analysis of prevalence and healthcare utilization in South Korea.

ABSTRACT: As populations age worldwide, it is essential to explore the changing landscape of schizophrenia across different age groups. We analyzed cases of schizophrenia reported over a 12-year period (2010-2021) using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) database of South Korea. We explored changes in the prevalence of schizophrenia, physical comorbidity burden, and healthcare utilization by age. The annual disease prevalence and hospitalization patterns were analyzed using linear regression and linear mixed models. Of 420,203 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, the number and proportion of older adults (aged ≥ 50 years) significantly increased from 82,556 (0.51%) in 2010 to 188,359 (0.89%) in 2021 (p < 0.001), more rapidly than did those of younger adults. The proportion of older

SUBMITTER: Park JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11868638 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature