Sex Difference in the Socioeconomic Burden of Osteoporosis among South Koreans

Background: The prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing with the aging of the population and the socioeconomic burden. The purpose of this study was to determine the socioeconomic burden of osteoporosis in Korea. Methods: The prevalence of osteoporosis was analyzed using 2017 National Patients Sample and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Direct costs were divided into healthcare and non-healthcare costs, and indirect costs were calculated by assessing the cost of loss of productivity for labor loss due to disease. Results: The prevalence of osteoporosis diagnosis was 1.91% in total, which was 13 times higher in women than in men (3.57% vs. 0.26%). The socioeconomic cost of osteoporosis was 299.1 million USD based on main diagnosis, and the cost was 13 times higher in women than in men (277.6 vs. 21.5 million USD). The total cost based on main and secondary diagnosis was 981.8 million USD. Similarly, the cost was seven times higher in women than in men (862.4 vs. 119.4 million USD). Conclusions: Osteoporosis increases the socioeconomic burden of disease, and it is significantly higher in women than in men. The policy support for the implementation of prevention and management programs would be necessary to reduce the burden of osteoporosis.