ABSTRACT
Obesity is a chronic relapsing disease associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer with a growing incidence. Since obesity is a complex disease that is affected by a variety of factors, including social, cultural, and environmental factors, it should be approached by establishing an integrated and comprehensive treatment strategy. It is difficult to achieve a sufficient amount of weight loss in most obese patients through lifestyle interventions alone, so pharmacotherapy in primary care should be actively considered as an additional treatment. Currently, there are four drugs that can be used for long-term weight management in Korea: orlistat, naltrexone/bupropion, phentermine/topiramate, and liraglutide. Sympathomimetics, such as phentermine, diethylpropion, phendimetrazine, and mazindol, can only be used for short-term treatment. These drugs can induce weight loss by suppressing appetite or inhibiting fat absorption in the gut. The prescription of such drug treatments should be based on evidence-based clinical care and tailored to the patient. Patient-tailored obesity drug treatments should be performed taking into consideration the advantages, side effects, and safety issues of each drug. Considering that obesity is a chronic disease that must be controlled for a lifetime, obese patients should be guided by clinicians to maintain their weight sustainably by setting common and realistic goals.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Compared with other chronic diseases, hearing loss is generally overlooked from the perspective of disease burden. However, hearing loss is emerging as an important issue in the current society. The objective of this study was to investigate disease burdens and marginal utilities associated with hearing loss and other chronic diseases. METHODS: This study analyzed the cross-sectional data of 32,986 participants aged 19 years and older who completed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 2009 and 2013. Additionally, this study used the pure tone audiometric test, European Quality of Life-Five Dimensions Questionnaire, and chronic disease status. The data were analyzed using a multiple linear regression method. RESULTS: The data of 23,297 people who underwent a pure tone audiogram and completed the European Quality of Life-Five Dimensions Questionnaire were used in this analysis. The marginal utility of hearing loss ranked fifth among nine chronic diseases. The estimated loss of quality-adjusted life years associated with hearing loss was −93.69 years per 100,000 people, which is similar to other chronic diseases. CONCLUSION: This study assessed the marginal utilities and public burdens of hearing loss and eight chronic diseases in a South Korean population. Although the values may vary depending on country and race, this study may provide an indispensable foundation for more detailed studies on hearing loss.