Prevalence and incidence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Korea: Population based study

Background: Although neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is known to be a rare disease, its prevalence and incidence have not yet been studied in Korea. We performed a population-based study to examine the prevalence and incidence of NMOSD in Korea using data from the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) claims database. Methods: Data from 2013 to 2017 were obtained, with a washout period set as 2013 and 2014. The prevalence and incidence of NMOSD in 2016 and 2017 were calculated using population census data. Subjects were divided into 5 groups at 15-year intervals, depending on the age at which the diagnostic code was entered. The relative risk (RR) for each age group was compared with the oldest (≥ 60 years) age group. Results: The overall prevalence was estimated to be 3.36 and 3.56 per 100,000 individuals, with an incidence of 0.41 and 0.65 per 100,000 individuals-year in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The mean age was 43.08 (standard deviation, 14.56) years, and the ratio of male to females was 1:4.7. The incidence was higher in female individuals aged between 30 and 59 years (RR, 2.8-3.05; P < 0.05). Conclusion: This is the study to investigate the prevalence and incidence of NMOSD using the NHI database. NMOSD was demonstrated to be a very rare disease in Korea.