Fatality Rate in Hospitalized Patients Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Hospitalized carbon monoxide poisoning patients in North Korea had a 6.49% fatality rate.
Fatality Rate in Hospitalized Patients Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The widespread use of polluting fuels for indoor heating in the Demographic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) poses a significant risk for unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the fatality rate of hospitalized patients with unintentional CO poisoning in the DPRK and to compare it with historical data from the Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea).
carbon monoxide poisoning killed roughly 1 in 15 hospitalized patients
This rate was 2.48 times higher (95% CI, 1.16-5.29) than that observed among ROK patients who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (2.62%; 95% CI, 1.38-4.91%).
When compared to ROK patients who did not receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (6.26%; 95% CI, 4.10-9.42%), the DPRK fatality rate was 1.04 times higher (95% CI, 0.57-1.88), indicating comparable clinical outcomes in settings where advanced therapeutic interventions such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy were not available.
Accurate estimation of fatality rates among hospitalized patients with CO poisoning is essential to understanding its disease burden in the DPRK.
The continued use of low-quality solid fuels for residential heating contributes substantially to the risk of unintentional CO poisoning.
These findings highlight the urgent need for evidence-based public health interventions and international collaboration to improve heating practices and reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.