Attitude to Death and Life Satisfaction between Groups of Elderly People with and without Cancer

PURPOSE: This study was to examine attitude to death and life satisfaction between groups of elderly people with and without cancer. METHODS: This study used a descriptive research design. Data were collected from January to March 2013. Participants were 66 elderly without cancer and 65 elderly with cancer. A questionnaire was used to collect data. RESULTS: The attitude to death of participants was relatively positive and the degree of life satisfaction was medium or greater. There was no significant difference in attitude to death between the groups with and without cancer. However, the score for the life satisfaction of the group without cancer was significantly higher than that of the group with cancer. Attitude to death was significantly different according to sex, living together with family, and intention to prepare for death. Life satisfaction was significantly different according to gender and religion. The correlation between attitude to death and life satisfaction was not significant in both groups. CONCLUSION: As a result of this study the elderly had a generally positive attitude to death and were satisfied with their lives. Cancer influenced elderly people's life satisfaction, not their attitude towards death. To improve life satisfaction for elderly people with cancer, we need to research which factors could be important.

A Case of Male-Pseudohermaphroditism due to 17-beta-hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Deficiency with Multiple Osteoporosis / 대한산부인과학회잡지

A 37-year-old woman was admitted for chief complaints about primary amenorrhea and multiple bone pains. She was raised phenotypically female but her chromosomal study was no-rmal male karyotype(46 XY). On pelvic examination, she showed relatively normal female ex-ternal genitalia except short blind-ending vagina. There were also no uterus and tubes in operation field. Even though rare disorder, she was diagnosed male pseudohermaphroditism due to 17-beta -hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency. This disorder is the most common enzyme defect in biosynthesis of testosterone and involves the last step. The serum level of sex steroid: test osterone, estradiol were decreased and FSH, LH were increased. Androstenedione was increased and we could obtain that Androstenedione / Testosterone ratio was increased. Because of 17-beta-HSD deficiency, estrogen was not converted to estradiol, and so estradiol was markedly decreased. Same as above, we experienced a case of male pseudohermaphroditism due to 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency with multiple osteoporosis. So we report this case with a brief review of literatures.