Estimating the clinical and economic burden of medically attended influenza in South Korea, stratified by age and comorbidity: A five-season hospital-based surveillance data, 2014/15–2018/19

This study aims to estimate the clinical and economic burden of influenza in South Korea across five seasons (2014/15-2018/19), stratified by age and comorbidity, using data from the Hospital-based Influenza Morbidity and Mortality (HIMM) network. Data were gathered from eight university hospitals a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 20; no. 9; p. e0317643
Main Authors: Choi, Min Joo, Choi, Won Suk, Song, Joon Young, Cheong, Hee Jin, Noh, Ji Yun, Wie, Seong-Heon, Lee, Jin Soo, Lee, Jacob, Kim, Hyo Youl, Kim, Shin-Woo, Park, Kyong-Hwa, Kim, Woo Joo
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 17.09.2025
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Age
Age Factors
Age groups
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Analysis
Antigens
Care and treatment
Chronic illnesses
Comorbidity
Cost of Illness
Costs
COVID-19 vaccines
Economic aspects
Economic impact
Economics
Emergency medical care
Fatalities
Female
Health Care Costs
Hospitalization
Hospitalization - economics
Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data
Hospitals
Humans
Immunization
Incidence
Influenza
Influenza, Human - economics
Influenza, Human - epidemiology
Influenza, Human - mortality
Male
Medical records
Middle Aged
Morbidity
Mortality
Older people
Pathogens
Patient outcomes
Patients
Population (statistical)
Productivity
Republic of Korea - epidemiology
Review boards
Risk groups
Seasons
Socioeconomics
Young Adult
Republic of Korea
South Korea
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This study aims to estimate the clinical and economic burden of influenza in South Korea across five seasons (2014/15-2018/19), stratified by age and comorbidity, using data from the Hospital-based Influenza Morbidity and Mortality (HIMM) network. Data were gathered from eight university hospitals and included adults (≥ 20 years) with laboratory-confirmed influenza. The catchment population was estimated using hospital and national statistical data. Economic costs were evaluated from a societal perspective. The incidence of medically attended influenza ranged from 113.1 to 220.7 per 100,000 adults, with hospitalization rate of 35.5 to 76.8, intensive care unit admission at 4.2 to 9.2, and deaths at 1.4 to 3.6. Annual socioeconomic costs ranged from $156 to $316 million, primarily driven by indirect costs associated with early mortality. The highest cost was recorded in 2017/18, following the largest outbreak, particularly among older adults. Per capita socioeconomic costs ranged from $2,747 to $4,072 across the seasons, with peak values observed in 2018/19 and 2015/16. Among at-risk groups, per capita costs were 1.5-2.3 times higher than those of the general adult population. Influenza imposes a significant clinical and economic burden on South Korea. Tailored strategies are essential to mitigate this burden, particularly among older adults and at-risk individuals not covered by the National Immunization Program.
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ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0317643