Epidemiology of Femoroacetabular Impingement in Korea.

Background: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of hip and groin pain. Despite the rising awareness, epidemiological data on FAI remain limited in East Asia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, treatment patterns, and associated medical costs of FAI in South Korea.

Methods: To identify patients with FAI, a nationwide claims database from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) was used from January 2013 to December 2022. The patients were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes for FAI. Patients aged 15 years and older were grouped into 5-year age intervals and categorized according to gender. The overall crude and age-adjusted prevalence were assessed from 2013 to 2022 using the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS). Patients were further categorized into those undergoing surgical treatment and conservative treatments. To assess the economic burden of the disease, we estimated the total medical and out-of-pocket costs reimbursed for patients diagnosed with these codes.

Results: During the study period, 39,620 patients were considered to have the diagnosis of FAI. Among them, 2,884 patients were hospitalized, including 1,562 men and 1,322 women. The number of hospitalized patients slightly decreased from 303 in 2013 to 281 in 2022. However, the total number of patients increased significantly from 2,721 in 2013 to 5,196 in 2022. When stratified by age in 5-year intervals, a bimodal distribution was observed for men and an unimodal distribution for women, with a peak in the 50s. The age-adjusted prevalence showed an annual increase of 7.14% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.56-10.22; P < 0.001), rising from 5.94 per 100,000 (95% CI, 5.70-6.17) to 10.40 per 100,000 (95% CI, 10.11-10.68). Despite rising overall patient numbers, the proportion undergoing surgical treatment declined from 11.1% to 5.4%. Total medical costs increased by 43% for men and 27% for women from 2013 to 2022.

Conclusion: This study highlights the significant increase in FAI prevalence and related healthcare costs in South Korea. However, only a minority of FAI patients underwent surgical treatment during the study period.