The Korean journal of internal medicine
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Mar 2021
Observational StudyEffects of renin-angiotensin system blockers on the risk and outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in patients with hypertension.
There are concerns that the use of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers may increase the risk of being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or progressing to a severe clinical course after infection. This this study aimed to investigate the influence of RAS blockers on the risk and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. ⋯ In this Korean nationwide claims dataset, the use of RAS blockers was associated with a higher risk to SARS-CoV-2 infection but not with higher mortality or other severe clinical courses.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Nov 2020
Age- and sex-related characteristics of the increasing trend of nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease in a tertiary hospital in South Korea from 2006 to 2016.
The incidence rate of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is increasing worldwide. However, data regarding the age- and sex-specific epidemiology of NTM-PD are limited. This study aimed to investigate the long-term epidemiologic trends of NTM-PD within the recent 11- year period in a tertiary referral hospital in Korea. ⋯ The incidence rate of NTM-PD in a tertiary referral hospital in South Korea continued to increase from 2006 to 2016. Furthermore, there were age- and sex-related differences in the clinical characteristics, which might contribute to understanding the nature of the disease and inherited and acquired host factors.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Nov 2020
ReviewRecommendations for the management of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases during the coronavirus disease pandemic.
Patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (SRD) are vulnerable for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Korean College of Rheumatology recognized the urgent need to develop recommendations for rheumatologists and other physicians to manage patients with SRD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The working group was organized and was responsible for selecting key health questions, searching and reviewing the available literature, and formulating statements. ⋯ Medicinal treatments were categorized according to the status with respect to both COVID-19 and SRD. These recommendations should serve as a reference for individualized treatment for patients with SRD. As new evidence is emerging, an immediate update will be required.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Nov 2020
Derivation and validation of modified early warning score plus SpO2/FiO2 score for predicting acute deterioration of patients with hematological malignancies.
Scoring systems play an important role in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admission or estimating the risk of death in critically ill patients with hematological malignancies. We evaluated the modified early warning score (MEWS) for predicting ICU admissions and in-hospital mortality among at-risk patients with hematological malignancies and developed an optimized MEWS. ⋯ Compared to the traditional MEWS, the MEWS_SF score may be a useful tool that can be used in the general ward to identify deteriorating patients with hematological malignancies.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Sep 2020
Laboratory and radiological discrimination between tuberculous and malignant pleural effusions with high adenosine deaminase levels.
Pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels are useful in discriminating tuberculous pleural effusions (TPEs) from malignant pleural effusions (MPEs). However, some patients with MPE exhibit high-ADA levels, which may mimic TPEs. There is limited data regarding the differential diagnosis between high-ADA MPE and high-ADA TPE. This study aimed to identify the predictors for distinguishing high-ADA MPEs from high-ADA TPEs. ⋯ A scoring system using three parameters may be helpful in guiding the differential diagnosis between high-ADA MPEs and high-ADA TPEs.