The prevalence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis in Korea

Objective. To identify the prevalence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in a large Asian population group. Methods. A total of 3595 subjects (1616 men and 1979 women) over 50 years of age, residing in 2 cities in Korea, were included in this study. The mean age of the study population was 64.25 +/- 9.06 years. We reviewed lateral chest radiographs through Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and identified DISH according to Resnick's and Julkunen's criteria. Results. One hundred and four (2.9%) of the 3595 subjects were diagnosed with DISH according to classical Resnick criteria. A slight increase in prevalence (4.1%) could be seen using Julkunen's criteria. The prevalence of DISH increased with age, except for the 90-99 year age group. Men were approximately 7 times more likely to have DISH than women using Resnick's criteria. Conclusion. DISH is an age-related skeletal disorder whose overall prevalence is much lower in Koreans than in other Western populations. Interestingly, the prevalence of DISH was 7 times higher in men. We propose that ethnic factors are important elements in the prevalence of DISH.