The Korean journal of internal medicine
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Mar 2010
Prevalence of depression and anxiety in outpatients with chronic airway lung disease.
Patients with chronic airway lung diseases often experience depression and anxiety, but little information is available regarding Koreans with these conditions. We thus assessed depression and anxiety in Korean patients with chronic airway lung diseases. ⋯ Chronic airway lung diseases are associated with depression and/or anxiety, particularly in those with a higher airflow limitation and/or history of smoking.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Mar 2010
Case ReportsMyasthenia gravis presenting as isolated respiratory failure: a case report.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is often complicated by respiratory failure, known as a myasthenic crisis. However, most of the patients who develop respiratory symptoms do so during the late course of disease and have other neurological signs and symptoms. ⋯ We report the case of a 68-year-old woman with MG who presented with isolated respiratory failure as her first presenting symptom. As illustrated by this case, it is important to consider neuromuscular disorders in cases of unexplained respiratory failure.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Mar 2010
Clinical meaning of early oxygenation improvement in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome under prolonged prone positioning.
Ventilating patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the prone position has been shown to improve arterial oxygenation, but prolonged prone positioning frequently requires continuous deep sedation, which may be harmful to patients. We evaluated the meaning of early gas exchange in patients with severe ARDS under prolonged (> or = 12 hours) prone positioning. ⋯ Our results suggest that the early oxygenation improvement after prone positioning might be associated with an improved 28-day outcome and may be an indicator to maintain prolonged prone positioning in patients with severe ARDS.