The Clinical study for Efficacy and Safety of Amezinium methylsulfate

BACKGROUND: Amezinium methylsulfate(Risumic) is the useful drug in the treatment of essential hypotension. This drug elevate blood pressure by stimulating sympathetic nervous system and improve symptoms related hypotension. This study was designed to evaluate efficacy and safety of Risumic for patients with essential hypotension. METHODS: This study was performed in patients with systolic blood pressure less than 100mmHg from June, 1999 to December, 1999. Risumic blood pressure response, improvement of symptom and side effect were examined in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. RESULTS: Total of 54 patients participated in this study and only 55.6% of them were finished and the rest of them(44.4%) was stopped. 6 patients of this patients were stopped because of side effects. But there was no difference in side effects in Risumic and placebo periods. In diastolic BP, Risumic group is 5mmHg higher than placebo group. And then there was significant difference in statistics. CONCLUSIONS: In essential hypotensive patients, Risumic is elevater DBP than SBP, side effects frequency was no significance difference in Risumic and placebo group.

A study of medical utilization and health status for migrant workers in Korea

BACKGROUND: The number of illegal migrant workers has been increasing in Korea since late 1997 in what was called the IMF era. This study was conducted to evaluate and to recognize the medical utilization and health Status for migrant workers in Korea. The goal of this study was to understand the epidemiological characteristics of the migrant workers and family physician's role as a health provider and gate keeper to them and to provide basic data for public health policy. METHODS: In September 1999, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the migrant workers in Seoul, Sung-Nam, Pucheon and An-Yang. We classified the reasons for clinical encounters and the prescribed drugs by reviewing the medical records of all patients who visited a clinic of shelter for migrant workers in Sung-Nam from January to December 1998 and analysed the report according to death certification of the shelter for migrant workers in Sung Nam from 1994 to September 1999 RESULTS: The major distribution of nationality were from China, Mongo, and Bangladesh (86.9 %). They were mostly between 30 and 39 years old, males are, and unmarried. Most had high school education. The average income was 756,700 won and the average working hours were 11.5 hours per day in migrant workers being in worse condition than those of Korean workers. Classified according to systems, the respiratory(21.2%), musculoskeletal (20.6%), digestive(15.8%), and cardiovascular(12.5%) symptoms were common. Repayment for death was different between before (87.7%) and after IMF era (13.0%), in late 1997. Average medical expenditure was 43,552 won comprising 5% of the total income of subjects only. Most of them did not benefit from medical insurance. CONCLUSION: Migrant workers' situation seemed poor. The patterns of the disease' were similar to those who visit family medicine clinics in general. Family physicians should take more interest in providing a more effective and better care to migrant workers.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Patients with Confirmed Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease

The early diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysms are difficult, especially when they are not clinically evident. Because of the generalized nature of atherosclerosis, there is reason to believe that there is a high incidence of aneurysms of the abdominal aorta in patients with peripheral vascular disease. But the screening test for hidden abdominal aortic aneurysms in patients with peripheral arterial disease has not been used for routine manner. So we retrospectively reviewed the 9 patients who had asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease during the last four and half-year period: among them three aneurysms were screened preoperatively by physical examination with their diameter more than 5 cm and 6 aneurysms were found intraoperatively with their mean diameter of 3.8 cm. The ages ranged from 66 through 84 years with the mean age 73 years. There were 7 men and 2 women. The sites of the peripheral occlusive disease is as follows: femoral artery only in 1, iliac artery only in 2, both iliac and femoral arteries in 5, and from iliac artery through tibial artery with thrombus formation in 1. We suggest that ultrasonographic screening for the presence of hidden abdominal aortic aneurysm preoperatively in patients with lower extremity occlusive arterial disease is needed, especially when the ages of patients is older than 65 years and the site of arterial disease include iliac segment.