National dementia plans were applied in dementia support centers established in Seoul, Korea between 2007 and 2009. However, the annual incidence rates of dementia in Seoul have not been reported. We investigated this annual incidence and the characteristics of incident cases from 2003 to 2018. The customized research database of the Korean National Health Insurance Services was used. The annual crude and age-standardized incidence of dementia patients and their characteristics were analyzed. This study analyzed 108,596 incident dementia cases aged ≥60 years. The incidence rate increased from 2003 to 2011, including a rapid increment from 2007 to 2011. From 2011 to 2018, the crude (age-standardized) incidence per 105 person-years decreased from 641.51 (577.12) to 448.26 (361.23). The proportion of incident dementia cases was highest in the highest income group every year. However, the proportion of incident dementia cases in the lowest income group increased from 10.4% in 2003 to 25.8% in 2011. The annual incidence rate of dementia showed a sharp increase immediately after 2007, the year dementia support centers began to be introduced, and then stabilized after 2011. The characteristics of incident dementia cases have changed, including the proportion in the low-income group.
Keywords: dementia; dementia support center; incidence; national health insurance service; policy.