Analysis of Risk Factors of Childhood Atopic Dermatitis, in Dong-gu, Incheon / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Genetic predisposition and environmental aspects may act as triggering factors and influence the disease expression. Dong-gu, which is located on the west of Incheon, has a large harbor and industrial complex. Such environmental aspects of Dong-gu may play a role in AD. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the epidemiologic features of AD in preschool and elementary school children in Dong-gu. METHODS: This study was carried out among 2,760 preschool and elementary school children from June to October. A questionnaire survey is composed of clinical manifestations, genetic and environment factors and lifestyle. Two dermatologists examined the skin conditions of the subjects. The severity of AD was evaluated using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score and the factors affecting the severity of the diseases were determined. RESULTS: The questionnaire suggested that there was 19.7% of the preschool childhood and elementary school students in Incheon with AD. But, the prevalence of AD evaluated by the two dermatologists was 13.2%. The average EASI score is 2.88 (+/-4.08). There was a statistical significance in parental past history, especially of atopic dermatitis and moving into a new house within a year after birth (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there is strong correlation of genetic and environmental factors in the severity of atopic dermatitis in children.

Mumps outbreak in Incheon, Korea, 2009 / 소아과

PURPOSE: Recently, we have noticed an increase in the number of patients with mumps in Incheon, Korea. The aim of this study is to estimate the regional trend in mumps incidence and to evaluate the factors related to the recent increase. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 66 patients with mumps who had been admitted to Incheon St. Mary's Hospital from July 1999 to June 2009. We compared the differences in records between "outbreak, 2009" and "nonoutbreak, 2000-2008." RESULTS: Of the 66 patients, 35 (53%) were admitted in 2009, and 31 (47%) were admitted between 2000 and 2008. Most of the patients admitted during the outbreak were over 15 years of age (80.0%), were born before 1993 (77.1%), and had received a single dose of mumps vaccine (62.9%). There were no significant differences in contact history, present address, clinical manifestations, and complications, except for orchitis, between the two groups. CONCLUSION: There was a sharp increase in the number of inpatients with mumps who were born before 1993 and who were over 15 years of age. We recommend that a booster vaccination be considered for adolescents and young adults born before 1993 who are susceptible to mumps infection due to their reduced opportunities for receiving two doses of mumps vaccine.

Area-Based Occupational Disease Surveillance in Incheon, Korea: Results of an 11-year Data Survey / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 2008, area-based occupational disease surveillance in Incheon was used to collect data on occupational diseases. The long-term data was used to estimate the scale of disease, to analyze disease characteristics, and to achieve surveillance in order to determine development tasks. METHODS: For a period of 11 years, occupation-related disease surveillance was performed on an annual basis for employees of Incheon industries. All cases of occupational disease were reported by means of the Incheon Occupational Disease Information Network (IODIN) web site, downloaded, and analyzed, subsequently. RESULTS: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 2008, 1577 cases of occupational disease were reported. Of these, there were 1043(66.1%) cases of occupational musculoskeletal disorders, 172(10.9%) cases of occupational asthma, 162(10.3%) cases of occupational dermatoses, 135(8.6%) cases of occupationally-related cancers, 30(1.9%) cases of pneumoconiosis, 27(1.7%) cases of toxic hepatitis, and 8(0.5%) cases of occupational neuronal disease. CONCLUSION: In the Incheon area, small and medium industries comprise 99% of business. The composition of the industry by category, in Incheon, is similar to the country on the whole. In actually, the data on occupational diseases in Korea are almost workers' compensation data. Thus, the survey of occupational disease based in Incheon, Korea, can serve as an estimate of the trends and size of the occupational disease throughout the entire country.

The Prevalence and Clinical Features of Musculoskeletal Diseases in Incheon: Results from Chronic Disease Management Surveys / 대한류마티스학회지

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases in Incheon. METHODS: This study was based on data from chronic disease management surveys of Incheon. The surveys were conducted from 12 Sept 2005 to 7 Oct 2005 on 5,144 households using proportional stratified sampling methods. Three questionnaires were performed on all study subjects. All analyses were done using SPSS version 11.5. RESULTS: Out of 16,623 subjects, the mean age was 34.5+/-20.2 (years, +/-SD). The crude prevalence rate of musculoskeletal diseases were as follows: osteoarthritis 3.2%, rheumatoid arthritis 1.1%, spondyloarthropathy 0.3%, gouty arthritis 0.1%, Behcet's disease 0.04%, herniated disc 1.1%, and osteoporosis 0.8%. Age-standardized prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 1.6%, and osteoarthritis 5.2%. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis tended to be higher among older age groups, low socioeconomic/education state, and homemakers. The age-standardized prevalence of arthritis was higher in rural than in urban area. There were more concurrent chronic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus in the arthritis group than in the whole population. Questionnaires were performed on subjects with musculoskeletal disease. It revealed chronic arthralgia at 3%, spine arthralgia 2.5%, and chronic myalgia 2.8%. CONCLUSION: The crude prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis were 1.1% and 3.2% (age-standardized, 1.6% and 5.2%), respectively. The prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases in Incheon is much lower than previously-reported data indicate. These differences should be confirmed by further epidemiological survey. The prevalence of arthritis is higher in populations of old age, low socioeconomic state, and rural areas.