Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data

Objectives Fibromyalgia treatment trends vary globally; however, the trend in South Korea has not been investigated yet. This study aimed to analyse the fibromyalgia treatment trends in South Korea.Design Retrospective, observational study using serial cross-sectional data.Setting The National Patie...

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Main Authors: Eun-Jung Kim, In-Hyuk Ha, Yoon Jae Lee, Dongwoo Nam, Kyoung Sun Park, Jin-Sil Yu, Eun-San Kim, Yeon Cheol Park
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-12-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e071735.full
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author Eun-Jung Kim
In-Hyuk Ha
Yoon Jae Lee
Dongwoo Nam
Kyoung Sun Park
Jin-Sil Yu
Eun-San Kim
Yeon Cheol Park
author_facet Eun-Jung Kim
In-Hyuk Ha
Yoon Jae Lee
Dongwoo Nam
Kyoung Sun Park
Jin-Sil Yu
Eun-San Kim
Yeon Cheol Park
author_sort Eun-Jung Kim
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Fibromyalgia treatment trends vary globally; however, the trend in South Korea has not been investigated yet. This study aimed to analyse the fibromyalgia treatment trends in South Korea.Design Retrospective, observational study using serial cross-sectional data.Setting The National Patient Samples of the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service from 2011 to 2018 were used.Participants A total of 31 059 patients with fibromyalgia were included in this study. The basic characteristics of the patients were stratified by sex, age and comorbidity. A patient was considered to have a condition if it was recorded as a principal diagnosis at least once in a year.Primary and secondary outcome measures Trends in the types of medical visits and prescribed treatments were investigated and the values are presented as rates per 100 patients. The types of pharmacological treatment were presented according to the existing clinical guidelines. Additionally, combination prescription trends and associated characteristics were investigated.Results Of the patients, 66.2% were female. Visits to internal medicine departments showed the most significant increase (2011: 11.34; 2018: 21.99; p<0.001). Non-pharmacological treatment rates declined (physical therapy 2011: 18.11; 2018: 13.69; p<0.001, acupuncture 2011: 52.03; 2018: 30.83; p<0.001). Prescription rates increased for analgesics, relaxants, antiepileptics and antidepressants. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescriptions had the highest increase (2011: 27.65; 2018: 40.02; p<0.001). Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor prescriptions showed significant growth (2011: 2.4; 2018: 8.05; p<0.001). Prescription durations were generally longer for women (p<0.001), with higher rate increases in this group. Combinations of ≥3 medication classes increased (2011: 8.2; 2018: 9.64; p=0.041). Women were more likely to receive combination prescriptions (crude OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.29 to 1.68), adjusted 1.18 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.36)).Conclusions Our findings provide basic reference data for the development and application of national guidelines for fibromyalgia.
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spelling doaj-art-d7bc253cbe3944d3b2729f22cd622d8b2025-08-20T01:48:37ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-12-01131210.1136/bmjopen-2023-071735Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance dataEun-Jung Kim0In-Hyuk Ha1Yoon Jae Lee2Dongwoo Nam3Kyoung Sun Park4Jin-Sil Yu5Eun-San Kim6Yeon Cheol Park7Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongguk University, Seongnam-si, South KoreaJaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, Gangnam-gu, Republic of KoreaJaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, Seoul, South KoreaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Kyung Hee University, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaJaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Seoul, South KoreaJaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Seoul, South KoreaJaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, Seoul, South KoreaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaObjectives Fibromyalgia treatment trends vary globally; however, the trend in South Korea has not been investigated yet. This study aimed to analyse the fibromyalgia treatment trends in South Korea.Design Retrospective, observational study using serial cross-sectional data.Setting The National Patient Samples of the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service from 2011 to 2018 were used.Participants A total of 31 059 patients with fibromyalgia were included in this study. The basic characteristics of the patients were stratified by sex, age and comorbidity. A patient was considered to have a condition if it was recorded as a principal diagnosis at least once in a year.Primary and secondary outcome measures Trends in the types of medical visits and prescribed treatments were investigated and the values are presented as rates per 100 patients. The types of pharmacological treatment were presented according to the existing clinical guidelines. Additionally, combination prescription trends and associated characteristics were investigated.Results Of the patients, 66.2% were female. Visits to internal medicine departments showed the most significant increase (2011: 11.34; 2018: 21.99; p<0.001). Non-pharmacological treatment rates declined (physical therapy 2011: 18.11; 2018: 13.69; p<0.001, acupuncture 2011: 52.03; 2018: 30.83; p<0.001). Prescription rates increased for analgesics, relaxants, antiepileptics and antidepressants. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescriptions had the highest increase (2011: 27.65; 2018: 40.02; p<0.001). Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor prescriptions showed significant growth (2011: 2.4; 2018: 8.05; p<0.001). Prescription durations were generally longer for women (p<0.001), with higher rate increases in this group. Combinations of ≥3 medication classes increased (2011: 8.2; 2018: 9.64; p=0.041). Women were more likely to receive combination prescriptions (crude OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.29 to 1.68), adjusted 1.18 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.36)).Conclusions Our findings provide basic reference data for the development and application of national guidelines for fibromyalgia.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e071735.full
spellingShingle Eun-Jung Kim
In-Hyuk Ha
Yoon Jae Lee
Dongwoo Nam
Kyoung Sun Park
Jin-Sil Yu
Eun-San Kim
Yeon Cheol Park
Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data
BMJ Open
title Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data
title_full Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data
title_fullStr Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data
title_full_unstemmed Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data
title_short Trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in South Korea between 2011 and 2018: a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional health insurance data
title_sort trends in the treatment of fibromyalgia in south korea between 2011 and 2018 a retrospective analysis of cross sectional health insurance data
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e071735.full
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