A Randomized Controlled Trial of SMS Text Messaging versus Postal Reminder to Improve Attendance after Lipid Lowering Therapy in Primary Care / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: In the primary care setting, compliance with lipid lowering therapy was relatively low. In order to compare the efficacy of a short messaging service (SMS) text messaging and postal reminder as means of improving attendance rates during the first 24 weeks of lipid-lowering therapy, a randomized controlled trial of 918 patients from 19 family practice clinics was conducted between February 2003 and June 2006. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned into 3 groups: SMS (327), postal (294),and control (297) group. To ascertain attendance rates, patients were followed up at 24 weeks after their treatment. Reminders were sent at 16 weeks from the coordinating center. RESULTS: Overall attendance rate was 74.1%. This differed between groups, with 76.1% attendance for the SMS group, 73.5% for the postal group, and 72.4% for the control group. According to a multivariate analysis, the SMS group had a significantly higher attendance rate (Odds ratios [OR] 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 2.16) than the control group, but the postal group (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.69) did not. Moreover, the cost per attendance for the SMS reminder (155 Korean Won [KRW]) was much lower than that for the postal reminder (722 KRW). CONCLUSION: SMS reminder may be more cost saving method to improve the attendance rate compared with the postal reminder.

An Open-label, Multicenter, Flexible Dose Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Viagra(R)(Sildenafil Citrate) in Males with Erectile Dysfunction and Arterial Hypertension Who are Taking Antihypertensive Treatment / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of sildenafil citrate in men with erectile dysfunction, who had been taking antihypertensive agents, and to provide supportive scientific data, which can be used as a reference when prescribing sildenafil citrate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 198 male subjects, aged 20 years or older, between September 2002 and June 2003, were enrolled. The subjects were comprised of those patients with arterial hypertension, taking one or more antihypertensive agents, and who had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction of more than 3 months duration. This study was conducted for 10 weeks as an open-label, multi-center and flexible dose clinical study, with a 2-week screening period and 8-week treatment phase. At all visits, the heart pressure and heart rate were measured, with any concomitant medications and adverse events recorded for each subject. Subjects were asked to complete the Event Log Worksheets, questionnaires of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Global Efficacy Assessment Question (GEAQ) during the study period. RESULTS: 167 subjects completed this study. The average age and duration of erectile dysfunction were 55.8 (31.7 to 77.1) years old and 3.3 years, respectively. The scores for questions 3 and 4 of IIEF improved from 2.3 and 1.8 at baseline, to 3.7 and 3.4 at week 4 and to 3.8 and 3.4 at week 8, respectively. 86.3 and 88.3% of patients answered that they had an improved erectile function and ability to have sexual intercourse, respectively, by week 8. There were no significant differences in responses to questions 3 and 4 of the IIEF and GEAQ in relation to the number of antihypertensive agents taken. The adverse events experienced during the study were facial flushing (20.1%), headache (11.7%), palpitation (5.0%), rhinitis (2.8%), URI (2.8%), dizziness (2.2%), chest pain (2.2%) and nausea (1.7%). Only 4 patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, sildenafil citrate was concluded to not only be effective at improving erections, but was also well tolerated and safe in the treatment of men with erectile dysfunction who were also taking multiple antihypertensive agents for arterial hypertension.

The knowledge and attitude of menopause and hormone replacement therapy among the middle aged women

BACKGROUND: Hormone replacement therapy(HRT) has an established role in reducing cardiovascular risk and In preventing osteoporosis. But compliance with HRT is not good as expected. There fore, So we assessed perimenopausal womens knowledge and attitude fowards menopause and HRT to. METHOD: Questionnaires were provided to the students mothers of a high school located in Seoul from June 10th, to 15th, 1996. General characteristics and routine breast examination routine Pap smear, the knowledge and practice of high calcuim diet for preventing osteoporosis, their menstural pattern, the in formation source of HRT, in attitude for HRT, and the reasons for refusing. RESULT: Among 560 women, 362 women(64.6%) responded, and the mean age was 45.5 years. For osteoporosis prevention they knew milk(74.7%) were, anchovy(27.4%), calcium(23.6%), HRT(7.4%) were beneficial. And almost(91.8%) all sublets answered that menopause was a natural course and 40.5% of women answered that physical change after menopause could not prevent. Among 34 postmenopause, 5(14.2%) received HRT and 48(20.3%) answered that they would receive HRT, and 57 (24.1%) answered that they would not receive HRT. The reasons for refusing HRT were that menopause was a natural course, there fore deciding the need for artificial hormone therapy(22.4%), increased incidence of brew cancer(21.8%), and that lack of information for HRT(13.9%).The association was not proven between the attitude for HRT and regular Pap smear, regular breast examination, exercise, oral intake for osteoprosis prevention. CONCLUSION: Almost all of the respondents recognized that menopause was a natural course. And the effectiveness of diet and exercise in preventing osteoporosis was more well known compared to HRT.