Habits of smoking and pulmonary function in current smokers

BACKGROUND: It is well known that there is an adverse effect of longterm cigarette smoking on pulmonary function. But there are few reports about the effect of different habits of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function. Some smokers think that different habits of cigarette smoking are more safe than athers and this can be, an obstacle to the education of smoking cessation. Therefore, we have obtained applicable basic information for education of smoking cessation by analysing the effects of different habits of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function. METHODS: We surveyed current smokers on different habits of smoking who had performed puhnonary function test at the pulmonary function laboratory of one tertiary hospital in Seoul and pulmonary function test was done as a part of comprehensive health check-up at health promotion center of one secondary hospital at Ulsan from May 1998 to July 1998. We analysed the effects of different habits of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function in 160 subjects who has no specific respiratory disease. RESULTS: The factors were age, height, weight and amount of total smoking that had effect on pulmonary function. There were six different habits of smoking that we could analyse time of first smoking after sleep, average time of one cigarette smoked, current amount of smoking, length of one cigarette smoked, effort to quit smoking, smoking with drinking and all these six habits of sking had no relationship with the results of the pulmonary function test. CONCLUSIONS: The damage in pulmonary function was not protected by different habits of smoking that were previously known to be more safe or healthy. Therefore, we concluded that smoking cessation is the only way to prevent the damage in pulmonary function from cigarette smoking.

Quality of diabetes care in outpatient department

BACKGROUNDS: Proper managements of diabetes is important in family practice. this study aimed to assess the quality of diabetes care in an outpatient department of family medicine in a general hospital. METHODS: We reviewed all the charts of patients who had a new diagnosis code of diabetes in an outpatient department if family medicine at Asan medical center from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995. The documentation of medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests and treatments were examined. We surveyed the doctors who had managed the above patients. RESULTS: This study include d95 patients with diabetes were documented in 61,1 % and 336%, respectively. Blood pressure measurement, fundus examination and neurologic examination were done in 100.0%., 47.4% and 18.9%, respectively. Lipid profile and urine microalbumin were checked in 477.4 % and 1.00%, respectively. Management if hypertension and exercise education were documented in 65.0% and 47.4%, respectively. In the doctor survey, doctors responded that they had provided services to diabetic patients more frequently than the results of chart audit except on a few items. CONCLUSIONS: The care of diabetic patients was relatively adequate in many items, but insufficient in some item. Efforts to improve the quality of diabetes care in family practice ar needed.

Effects of demographic characteristics and sensory function on the scores of Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) of elderly persons living in a home for the Aged

BACKGROUND: The MMSE-K has been used widely to screen cognitive impairment of the elderly in Korea. However, the MMSE-K was validated only for elderly in the 60th and 70th, and did not consider the effect of vision and hearing impairment. So, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of demographic characteristics and sensory function on the scores of MMSE-K of elderly persons living in a home for the aged, who had low educational attainment, and high proportion of old age. METHODS: The MMSE-K was tested for 163 elderly persons living in a home for the aged in Seoul, by the interviewer who had been taught about the test methods. Vision and hearing were measured by the near vision card (40 cm), and 'whisper test' respectively RESULTS: Of the 162 subjects, 21 (13%) were excluded due to aphasia, severe vision and hearing impairment, and poor communication. The 141 study subjects (68 male, 73 female) had a mean age of 78.7 years (+/-7.1 years), and a mean MMSE-K score of 19.1 (+/-6.1). The mean score of women, elderly greater than 80 years, elderly with no education, and elderly with vision impairment was less than that of men (p0.05). In the multiple linear regression analysis with MMSE-K scores as the dependent variable, age (p0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings represent the cross-sectional relationship between MMSE-K performance and education, age, and vision among the institutionalized elderly. So, in using MMSE-K in the institutionalized elderly, we should take these variables into account. And the development of new adjustment methods of the MMSE-K will be needed.