Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Nov 2016
Gender Differences in Sleep Disturbance among Elderly Koreans: Hallym Aging Study.
Sleep is an important component in our lives as it is necessary throughout one's entire life span. This study was conducted to elucidate whether there are gender differences in sleep quality and what factors can affect sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly Koreans. A total of 382 subjects (175 males and 207 females) were recruited among elderly aged 45 or over who participated in the 2010 Hallym Aging Study (HAS). ⋯ Stress was also a risk factor for poor sleep. It was 5.60 times higher in the "always have stress" group than the "do not have stress" group (95% CI = 1.54-20.34). Thus, alcohol consumption is associated with men's sleep quality, while exercise and stress level affect women's.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Nov 2016
The Burden of Cancer in Korea during 2012: Findings from a Prevalence-Based Approach.
Cancer causes a significant deterioration in health and premature death and is a national socioeconomic burden. This study aimed to measure the burden of cancer using the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) metric based on the newly adopted methodology from the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2010. This study was conducted based on data from the Korean National Cancer Registry. ⋯ Health loss from leukemia and cancer of the brain and nervous system was prevalent for those younger than age 20; from stomach, breast, and liver for those aged 30-50; and from lung, colon and rectum, and pancreas for a large proportion of individuals over the age of 60. The most important differences were that the DALYs were calculated by prevalence and that other components of the DALYs were measured by a population-based perspective. Thus, prevalence-based DALYs could provide more suitable data for decision making in the healthcare field.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Nov 2016
Disability-adjusted Life Years for 313 Diseases and Injuries: the 2012 Korean Burden of Disease Study.
This study is part of a 5-year research project on the national burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors in Korea. Using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), a metric introduced by the 1990 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project, we performed a comprehensive and detailed assessment of the magnitude and distribution of both fatal and non-fatal health problems in the Korean population. The concept and general approach were consistent with the original GBD study, with some methodological modifications to make the study more suitable for Korea. ⋯ Of the total DALYs, 88.67% were from years lived with disability and 11.32% were from years of life lost due to premature mortality. Diabetes mellitus was the leading cause of DALYs, followed by low back pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, osteoarthritis, motorized vehicle with three or more wheels, and self-harm. The results reported here identify key health challenges and opportunities for future health interventions and policy changes, and provide information that will help assess the major public health issues in Korea, a nation faced with one of the world's most rapidly ageing populations.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Oct 2016
Characteristics of Workplace Injuries among Nineteen Thousand Korean Firefighters.
To determine the actual firefighter injury statistics in Korea, we conducted a survey on the nature of on-duty injuries among all male firefighters in Korea. We distributed questionnaires to all Korean male firefighters via email, and data from the 19,119 workers that responded were used for data analysis. The job types were categorized into fire suppression, emergency medical service (EMS) and officers. ⋯ Car accident (24.5%) was the most common cause and wound (42.3%) was the most common type of injuries. Our nationwide representative study showed that fire suppression and EMS workers are at greater risk of on-duty injuries compared to officers. We observed different injury characteristics compared to those reported in other countries.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Oct 2016
Practice GuidelineClinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Korea.
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare syndrome characterized by micro-angiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. The major pathogenesis of aHUS involves dysregulation of the complement system. Eculizumab, which blocks complement C5 activation, has recently been proven as an effective agent. ⋯ Therefore, a diagnosis that differentiates aHUS from other forms of thrombotic microangiopathy is very important for appropriate management. These guidelines aim to offer recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with aHUS in Korea. The guidelines have largely been adopted from the current guidelines due to the lack of evidence concerning the Korean population.