The government's support for the purchase of special food for patients suffering from the rare disease 'glycogen storage disease,' who can only maintain blood sugar levels by consuming cornstarch, will be expanded starting next month.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 27th that starting from the 1st of next month, it will add 'special cornstarch,' which has a longer blood sugar maintenance time than regular cornstarch, to the list of special food support for patients with glycogen storage disease.
Glycogen storage disease is a genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of enzymes needed for glycogen synthesis and degradation, with approximately 300 patients in the country.
Patients with glycogen storage disease must consume cornstarch to maintain their blood sugar levels. Until now, support for the purchase of cornstarch for patients with glycogen storage disease has been provided through the medical expense support project for low-income rare disease patients.
However, regular cornstarch has a blood sugar maintenance effect and duration of only about 3 to 4 hours, which is insufficient for preventing nighttime hypoglycemia. To prevent their child from experiencing low blood sugar, parents have had to wake their child two or three times in the early morning to consume cornstarch, leading both the child and parents to suffer from sleepless nights for years.
'Special cornstarch' can maintain its effect for about 7 to 8 hours when consumed, stabilizing blood sugar levels. With this support expansion, patients will be able to choose from three types of supported purchases: special cornstarch, regular cornstarch, or a mixture of both, with longer blood sugar maintenance times.
If patients wish to consume special cornstarch, they or their guardians must obtain a medical confirmation certificate from a hospital and submit it to the local health center, and after individual purchase, submit the special food purchase reimbursement request to the National Health Insurance Service branch. The reimbursement will be paid to their personal account after document review by the health insurance service branch.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Lim Seung-kwan noted, "With this support expansion, we expect that patients will be able to continue treatment stably without worrying about nighttime hypoglycemia," adding, "We will expand tailored support with the focus on the lives of patients in our policies."