No. of teens on 10 or more medications nearly triples in 4 years: data

(123rf)

The number of Korean teenagers taking 10 or more prescription medications for chronic conditions has more than tripled during the last four and half years, National Health Insurance Service data showed Monday.

A total of 241 teenagers were found to be taking 10 or more types of medication for chronic conditions for at least 60 days during the first half of this year, according to the data cited by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the ruling People Power Party. This marks a 239.4 percent increase from 2019 when the year as a whole recorded only 71 teenagers in this category.

Polypharmacy — defined as the use of multiple medications at the same time — is more common among older adults. While sometimes necessary, polypharmacy can increase the risk of adverse drug reactions and complications.

“The growing number of young people requiring multiple medications is alarming,” Rep. Kim said. “The Ministry of Health and Welfare, along with the National Health Insurance Service, must urgently investigate the underlying causes and establish countermeasures, if needed.”

People in their 70s are the age group that has the highest number of polypharmacy patients, the data showed. Individuals in their 70s taking 10 or more medications grew by 46.9 percent from 312,481 in 2019 to 459,106 in the first half of this year.

During the same period, individuals in their 20s experienced a 146.7 percent rise.

Even those under 10 saw a 132.4 percent increase, rising from 34 children to 79.

Overall, the total number of South Koreans relying on 10 or more medications reached 1.36 million in the first half of this year, a 62.1 percent jump from 2019’s figure of 840,047.

By Song Seung-hyun(ssh@heraldcorp.com)