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PURPOSE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is common among children with asthma and exacerbates asthma symptoms. To assess the incremental utilization and cost of asthma-related health services due to concomitant AR among asthmatic children. MATERIALS and METHODS: Asthma-related claims were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) claims database, which covers 97% of the population. Per-capita utilization and costs of asthma-related services were determined from the societal perspective. RESULTS: Of 319,714 children (1-14 years old) with chronic asthma in 2003, 195,026 had concomitant AR (prevalence 610 per 1,000 asthmatic children). Children with AR had 1.14 times more outpatient visits, 1.30 times more emergency department (ED) visits, and 1.49 times more hospitalizations than children without AR. More children with AR used general hospitals (7.17%) than children without AR (3.23%). The ratios of unit pharmaceutical costs per outpatient visit, ED visit, and admission between children with and without AR were 1.27, 1.20, and 1.14. Total annual expenditure combining direct health care, transportation, and caregivers' costs, were dollar 273 and dollar 217 for children with and without AR, respectively. CONCLUSION: Health service utilization and costs for asthma were greater for asthmatic children with AR. More frequent ED visits and admissions among asthmatic children with AR suggest poorer control and more frequent exacerbations. Higher unit cost of pharmaceuticals during visits, tendency to receive asthma care from a higher-level facility, and greater risk of ED visit or admission all contributed to the additional economic burden of AR.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Asthma/economics , Health Services/economics , Hypersensitivity/economics , Rhinitis/economicsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and the safety of etoricoxib 90 mg daily administered to Korean patients for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis over a 12-week period. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were administered Etoricoxib 90 mg for 12 weeks. Tender Joint Count (total 68 joints), Swollen Joint Count (total 66 joints), Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity, and Investigator Global Assessment of Disease Activity were assessed as primary endpoints. Patient Global Assessment of Pain, Health Assessment of Questionnaire (HAQ: disability scales), Patient Global Assessment of Response to Therapy, Investigator Global Assessment of Response to Therapy, and Duration of Morning Stiffness were assessed as secondary endpoints. Those endpoints were assessed at week 2, 4, 8, and 12. Safety was evaluated by physical examination, serum chemistry, blood count, urinalysis, and occurrence of adverse events. RESULTS: Etoricoxib 90 mg showed significant effects compared to baseline, thus the result indicated etoricoxib was clinically effective. Etoricoxib 90 mg showed significant improvement in all efficacy endpoints (primary endpoints and secondary endpoints). Treatment effects for etoricoxib 90 mg were approximately a 7.3 (95% CI 5.8 8.9, p<0.0001) joint reduction in the number of tender joints, 4.8 (95% CI 3.6 6.0, p<0.0001) joint reduction in the number of swollen joints, a 15.4 (95% CI 12.1 18.7, p<0.0001) mm improvement in the patient global assessment (100 mm VAS) and 1.3 (95% CI 1.1 1.6, p<0.0001) unit improvement in the investigator global assessment (0 to 4 Likert scale). Treatment effects were observed at the earliest time point of measurement and were maintained over time during the 12-week period. Drug-related clinical adverse events were reported by 22 (24.7%) of 89 safety evaluable subjects. Eight patients discontinued the drug due to clinical adverse events. Frequency of drug-related laboratory abnormalities was low with 2 (2.2%). Nobody discontinued due to laboratory abnormalities. CONCLUSION: (1) Etoricoxib 90 mg once daily was clinically effective for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Korea patients. (2) Etoricoxib 90 mg once daily administered to patients with rheumatoid arthritis was generally safe and well tolerated.
Subject(s)
Humans , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Chemistry , Joints , Korea , Physical Examination , Surveys and Questionnaires , Research Personnel , UrinalysisABSTRACT
No abstract available.
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No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Aged , Humans , Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors , HypercholesterolemiaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate complications of stroke patients with regard to incidence, predisposing risk factors and their effect on the patients's prognosis during rehabilitation management. METHOD: Two hundred fifty nine patients with stroke admitted to Department of Rehabilitation Medicine were included in this study. We analyzed types of stroke, incidence of complications, outcome of rehabilitation treatment and the length of the hospital stay. RESULTS: Of the 259 patients who had received rehabilitation, shoulder pain occurred in 59 patients (22.8%), depressions in 24 (9.3%), falls in 24 (9.3%) and pneumonia in 21 (8.1%); 112 patients (42.9%) had a total of 174 complications. The incidence of complication was higher in patients who had lower initial FIM score or previous cardiac disease. The patients with complication had longer rehabilitation hospital stay and lower FIM gain and efficacy. CONCLUSION: Early detection and treatment of the complications of acute stroke patients during rehabilitation will shorten the length of the hospital stay and improve the overall prognosis of the patients.
Subject(s)
Humans , Depression , Heart Diseases , Incidence , Length of Stay , Pneumonia , Prognosis , Rehabilitation , Risk Factors , Shoulder Pain , StrokeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Nowadays, as public awareness of t,he Acquired immunedeficiency syndrome(AIDS) epidemic was increasing, athletes have become more concerned about their risk of infection with human immunedeficiency virus(HIV) since it, was announced that Magic Johnson, hero of basketball in the United States, was infected. Because there are no exact cure method about AIDS, the only treatment is prevention through the education and awareness of AIDS. Therefore, we researched the athletes knowledge of AIDS to provide the b#asis of preventive methods. METHODS: A questionnaire was given directly to the 110 wrestling and taekwondo athletes attending a sports college. RESULT: Athletes are all men and their mean age is 24.6 years old. Concerning the question of latent period, 54.5% had correct answer that AIDS development took more than several years after HIV infection. The person who had educated about the preventive methods of infection during the sports was 4.6%. The person who answered AIDS athletes should be excluded from the sports was 64.5% and the reason of exclusion was the risk of infection through the small bleeding(49.8%), sweating(38.0%), and simple skin cont,acts(19. 7%) during the sports. The correct recognition rate of preventive method of infection during the sports was 51.8 to 62%. Concerning the risk routes and behaviors of infection during daily life, most of them recognized correctly(from 76,3% to 99.0% by each item), but some have also misconception about transfusion(61.0%), skin contact(33%) and mosquitos bite(30%) etc. CONCLUSION: Almost all of athletes recognized correctly the risky behavior of sex and blood in transmission of infection, but some have also misconception in daily activities, e.g. transfusion and mosquitos. Many persons answered AIDS infected athletes should be excluded from the sports and they didnt receive any education about preventive methods of AIDS infection during the sports. The knowledge of preventive methods of infection recommended during the sports was relatively high.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Athletes , Basketball , Culicidae , Education , HIV Infections , Korea , Magic , Skin , Sports , United States , Wrestling , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Hemophilia, a genetically determined disorder, can be divided into hemophilia A and hemophilia B. Hemophilia A, defined as a sex-linked recessive trait hemorrhagic disease of males characterized by a deficiency of factor VIII occurs about seven times more frequently than hemophilia B which is characterized by a deficiency of factor IX. The complications resulting from hemophilia occurs in virtually every system. This paper is concerned with a rare complication of hemophilia, iliacus hematoma with femoral neuropathy. On case of spontaneous hemorrhage of iliacus muscle with femoral neuropathy in hemophilia was decompressed through a small incision with sump drainage under cover of AHF(Anti-hemophilic factor) concentrated plasma cryoperecipitate followed AHF replacement therapy.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Drainage , Factor IX , Factor VIII , Femoral Neuropathy , Hematoma , Hemophilia A , Hemophilia B , Hemorrhage , PlasmaABSTRACT
25 males, aged 40-60 years, who participated in aerobic-type exercise on moderate intensity(60~85% of MHR), 3~5 days a week for 6~12 months were selected. Data were obtained at pre- and post-participation of tranining period for height, weight, girths of chest and abdomen, body fat, BP, HR, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, glucose, uric acid, BP and HR during graded treadmil exercise, and VO2max. After training for average 38.4 weeks, significant reductions occured in percent of body fat, HR and SBP both at rest and exercise, triglyceride, but not in cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol. And DBP, HDL-cholesterol were elevated. VO2max was increased apparantly by 16.4%. From the results was concluded that training of aerobic exercise could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 1) decreasing myocaridal oxygen demand, 2) improving on lipid profile, 3) increasing cardiac work capacity.