Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Combined Effects of Depression and Chronic Disease on the Risk of Mortality: The Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2016).
The prevalence of depression is much higher in people with chronic disease than in the general population. Depression exacerbates existing physical conditions, resulting in a higher-than-expected death rate from the physical condition itself. In our aging society, the prevalence of multimorbid patients is expected to increase; the resulting mental problems, especially depression, should be considered. Using a large-scale cohort from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), we analyzed the combined effects of depression and chronic disease on all-cause mortality. ⋯ Patients with coexisting multimorbidity and depression are at an increased risk of all-cause mortality than those with chronic disease or depression alone.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Effects of Emergency Care-related Health Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: a Quasi-Experimental Study.
The purpose of this study was to review the nationwide emergency care-related health policies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disaster in Korea and to analyze the effects of the policies on the safety of patients who visit emergency departments (EDs) during this period. ⋯ Implementing appropriate emergency care policies in the COVID-19 pandemic would have contributed to improving the safety of all emergency patients and reducing in-hospital mortality by preventing excessive deaths.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Revised Korean Antiviral Guideline Reduces the Hepatitis B-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Cirrhotic Patients.
Since September 2015, the initiation of antiviral therapy (AVT) for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related cirrhosis has been reimbursed according to the revised Korean Association for the Study of Liver (KASL) guideline, if the patient had hepatitis B virus DNA level ≥ 2,000 IU/L, regardless of aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase levels. This study investigated whether the KASL guideline implementation reduced the risk of CHB-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis in South Korea. ⋯ The prognosis of patients with CHB-related cirrhosis who initiated AVT improved after guideline implementation according to the revised KASL guideline.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
A Longitudinal Study of Adult Patients with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia over 11 Years in Korea.
The temporal changes in the Staphylococcus aureus genotypes causing S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) and the corresponding clinical changes over the last decade in South Korea are rarely investigated. ⋯ Over the last decade, the hospital clones ST5 and ST239 have been replaced by community genotype ST72. This was associated with decreased CVC-related and persistent SAB. Increased USA300 was observed in community and hospital settings. Further research is required to identify the reasons for the ST72 epidemic and predict the impending epidemic of ST8 strains, including USA300.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2021
Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Emergency Care Utilization in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: a Nationwide Population-based Study.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted various aspects of daily living and has influenced the life of every individual in a unique way. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality; thus, timely treatment is crucial to prevent poor prognosis. Therefore, an immediate emergency department (ED) visit is required; however, no domestic studies have reported the effect of COVID-19 on ED visits by patients with AMI. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the changes in the pattern of ED visits by patients with AMI by comparing visits during the COVID-19 outbreak period to those during two control periods. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reduction in ED visits by patients with AMI. We assume that this could likely be caused by misinterpretation of AMI symptoms as symptoms of respiratory infection, fear of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and restrictions in accessing emergency medical care owing to overburdened healthcare facilities. This study sheds light on the fact that healthcare and emergency medical staff members must work towards eliminating hurdles due to this pandemic for patients to receive timely emergency care, which in turn will help curb the growing burden of mortality.