Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2013
Multicenter StudyHealth-related quality-of-life after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with UA/NSTEMI and STEMI: the Korean multicenter registry.
Compared with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), long-term outcomes are known to be worse in patients with unstable angina/non-STEMI (UA/NSTEMI), which might be related to the worse health status of patients with UA/STEMI. In patients with UA/NSTEMI and STEMI underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), angina-specific and general health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) was investigated at baseline and at 30 days after PCI. Patients with UA/NSTEMI were older and had higher frequencies in female, diabetes and hypertension. ⋯ At 30-days after PCI, angina-specific HRQOL of the patients with UA/NSTEMI was comparable to those with STEMI (56.1 ± 18.6 vs 56.6 ± 18.7, P = 0.521), but general HRQOL was significantly lower (0.86 ± 0.21 vs 0.89 ± 0.17, P = 0.001) after adjusting baseline characteristics (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the general health status of those with UA/NSTEMI was not good even after optimal PCI. In addition to angina-specific therapy, comprehensive supportive care would be needed to improve the general health status of acute coronary syndrome survivors.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2013
Association between metabolic syndrome and gallbladder polyps in healthy Korean adults.
The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between gallbladder (GB) polyps and metabolic syndrome. A total of 5,685 healthy subjects were included, and 485 of these subjects had GB polyps and 744 had metabolic syndrome. In this study, metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to standards suggested by the AHA/NHLBI ATP III 2005, and abdominal obesity (≥ 90 cm in men and ≥ 85 cm in women for Korean) was diagnosed according to standards set forth by the Korean Society for Study of Obesity. ⋯ The metabolic syndrome group had a higher risk of GB polyps (OR, 1.315; 95% CI, 1.01-1.69) than the group without metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, subjects who were HBsAg positive and male appear to be associated with the risk of GB polyps. The presence of metabolic syndrome also appears to be associated with the risk of GB polyps in Koreans.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2013
Multicenter StudyEconomic burden and epidemiology of pneumonia in Korean adults aged over 50 years.
This study was performed to estimate the direct medical costs and epidemiology of pneumonia in adults of Korea. We conducted a multi-center, retrospective, observational study and collected data targeting for community-acquired pneumonia patients ( ≥ 50 yr) from 11 hospitals. Costs attributable to the treatment of pneumonia were estimated by reviewing resource utilization and epidemiology data (distribution of pathogen, hospital length of stay, overall outcome) were also collected. ⋯ Compared to the cost of all caused pneumonia, that of pneumococcal pneumonia was higher, USD 2,049 ( ± USD 1,919), but not statistically significant. Charge of hospitalization accounted the greatest part of total medical costs. The economic burden of pneumonia was high in Korea, and the prevention of pneumonia should be considered as effective strategy.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2013
Case ReportsExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute life-threatening neurogenic pulmonary edema following rupture of an intracranial aneurysm.
Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) leading to cardiopulmonary dysfunction is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with central nervous system lesions. This case report describes a 28-yr woman with life-threatening fulminant NPE, which was refractory to conventional respiratory treatment, following the rupture of an aneurysm. She was treated successfully with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), although ECMO therapy is generally contraindicated in neurological injuries such as brain trauma and diseases that are likely to require surgical intervention. The success of this treatment suggests that ECMO therapy should not be withheld from patients with life-threatening fulminant NPE after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2013
Clinical characteristics of the responders to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors in Korean subjects with type 2 diabetes.
We investigated characteristics associated with the efficacy of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. We reviewed medical records of 477 patients who had taken sitagliptin or vildagliptin longer than 40 weeks. Response to DPP4i was evaluated with HbA1c change after therapy (ΔHbA1c). ⋯ In the multivariate analysis, age (r(2) = 0.006), duration of diabetes (r(2) = 0.019), HbA1c (r(2) = 0.296), and creatinine levels (r(2) = 0.024) were independent predictors for the response to DPP4i. Body mass index and insulin resistance were not associated with the response to DPP4i. In conclusion, better response to DPP4i would be expected in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes who have higher baseline HbA1c and creatinine levels with shorter duration of diabetes.