Clinical Features of Benign Essential Blepharospasm in Korean Patients

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical features of benign essential blepharospasm in Korean patients. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with benign essential blepharospasm in Kim's Eye Hospital from November 2014 to December 2016 were evaluated using a clinical examination and questionnaire. The questionnaire reviewed personal medical history, demographic factors, risk factors for blepharospasm development, and relieving and aggravating factors. RESULTS: Of the 101 patients enrolled, 78 (77.2%) were women. The mean age was 64.9 years old. Hypertension was the most common medical disorder (42.6%), followed by diabetes mellitus. The majority of the patients were non-smokers (83.2%) and drank less than a cup of a caffeinated beverage a day (30.7%). Fifty-seven percent of patients reported no stressful events immediately prior to symptom development. Fatigue and stress were aggravating factors in more than 55% of patients; rest was the most common relieving factor (35.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Here, we report the clinical features of benign essential blepharospasm in Korean patients for the first time. The results were consistent with previous reports showing that the majority of benign essential blepharospasm patients are women and non-smokers. In contrast to previous reports though, fatigue and stress were aggravating factors, and the most common relieving factor was rest. No stressful events had immediately preceded the development of blepharospasm in 57.4% of patients. This report may aid in treating and counseling patients with benign essential blepharospasm.

Qualitative research for studying stress reactions, stress-relieving factors, and constructing a theoretical model of stress for junior residents in Japan / 医学教育

In Europe and the United States, residents develop“burnout syndrome”or depression because of stress, and these conditions are associated with withdrawal from training programs and undesirable clinical outcomes, such as unethical practices.How stress affects Japanese medical residents and their practice is uncertain, as are factors that relieve stress.Furthermore, a theoretical model of stress in Japanese medical resident is uncertain.<BR>1) Focus group interviews were performed for 25 junior residents at 10 institutions to explore their stress reactions and stress-relieving factors.A theoretical model of stress was then constructed.<BR>2) Adverse effects in patient care and in training, in addition to events in daily life, were found to occur as stress reactions.<BR>3) Improvements in the support system and positive feedback from patients were found to be stress-relieving factors.<BR>4) A theoretical model of stress for trainee physicians was constructed and was similar to a general occupational stress model.<BR>5) Stressors should be reduced and stress-relieving factors should be improved to improve the working conditions of residents and the quality of medical care.