The effects of secondhand smoke on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in nonsmoking Korean adults

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Smoking is widely acknowledged as the single most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the risk of COPD in nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association of secondhand smoke exposure with COPD prevalence in nonsmokers who reported never smoking. METHODS: This study was based on data obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) conducted from 2008 to 2010. Using nationwide stratified random sampling, 8,596 participants aged > or = 40 years of age with available spirometry results were recruited. After selecting participants who never smoked, the duration of exposure to secondhand smoke was assessed based on the KNHANES questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of COPD was 6.67% in participants who never smoked. We divided the participants who had never smoked into those with or without exposure to secondhand smoke. The group exposed to secondhand smoke was younger with less history of asthma and tuberculosis, higher income, and higher educational status. Multivariate logistic regression analysis determined that secondhand smoke did not increase the prevalence of COPD. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of COPD between participants who had never smoked with or without exposure to secondhand smoke in our study. Thus, secondhand smoke may not be an important risk factor for the development of COPD in patients who have never smoked.

A Case of Acquired Zonal Aganglionosis in Adult

A chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a rare disorder and a severe digestive syndrome. It is characterized by deranged gut propulsive motility that resembles a mechanical obstruction, but no obstructive process is present. An intestinal pseudo-obstruction may be classified as acute or chronic; the chronic form may also be classified as idiopathic or secondary to a variety of diseases. Treatment of intestinal pseudo-obstruction involves nutritional, pharmacological, and surgical therapies. Surgery should be limited to patients who are refractory to medical therapy and show a deteriorating course. Despite available medical and surgical interventions, the outcome remains poor. Here, we describe a case of a 54-year-old female with chronic constipation and abdominal distension, who was subsequently found to have segmental aganglionosis. The patient was treated with a subtotal colectomy and ileosigmoidostomy without sequelae.

A Case of Transient Ischemic Attack and Cardiomyopathy Presented with Pheochromocytoma / 대한내과학회지

Patients with pheochromocytoma show a variety of clinical symptoms secondary to excessive catecholamine secretion. Major symptoms include hypertension, headache, hyperhidrosis, and palpitation. Stroke and myocardial infarction are known to occur in patients with pheochromocytoma, but the incidence is low. Here, we describe a 45-year-old female with a previous history of transient ischemic attack and a clinical presentation mimicking acute myocardial infarction with transient takotsubo-like myocardial dysfunction. A subsequent diagnostic examination revealed a left adrenal pheochromocytoma. The patient recovered with intensive medical treatment, including alpha- and beta-adrenergic blockade. Follow-up echocardiography revealed normalized cardiac function and wall motion. Thereafter, the patient underwent a laparoscopic left adrenalectomy without complications.

A Case of Klinefelter's Syndrome Accompanying with Polymyositis

Klinefelter's syndrome which is characterized by hypogonadism with karyotype abnormality (47 XXY or 46 XY/47 XXY) in males has been reported to be associated with autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. However, Klinefelter's syndrome accompanying with polymyositis has rarely been reported. We report a case of KFS with polymyosits in a 38-year old man for the first time in Korea.

A Case of Small Cell Lung Cancer Coexisting with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia / 결핵및호흡기질환

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia occurring in Western nations. In CLL it is well known that the risk of a secondary malignancy is higher than in the normal population. But in Korea, CLL is a rare type of leukemia, so there have been only a few reported cases with a secondary malignancy. CLL is characterized by progressive defects in both cell-mediated and humoral immunity. It is known that defects in the immune system of patients with CLL contribute to the development of a secondary malignancy. We experienced a case of a 71-year-old man who suffered from a chronic cough and was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer coexisting with CLL. Until this case, there was no reported case in Korea of small cell lung cancer coexisting with CLL. We now report a case of small cell lung cancer coexisting with CLL and present a literature review.

A Case of Pegylated Interferon Alpha-2a Monotherapy in a Peritoneal Dialysis Patient with Chronic Hepatitis C / 대한소화기학회지

Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) is now the standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C. But, there are few reports about patients with end stage renal disease, and treatment protocol for HCV infection has not been determined, particularly in patients on peritoneal dialysis. We experienced a case of a peritoneal dialysis patient with chronic hepatitis C who was successfully treated with PEG-IFN monotherapy. A 50-year old man was undergoing peritoneal dialysis because of diabetic nephropathy. Considering that his HCV genotype was 2, we decided to treat him with PEG-IFN alpha-2a monotherapy 4 month after the beginning of peritoneal dialysis. We adopted a 90 microg of PEG-IFN administration. After the injection of PEG-IFN, dialysate concentration of PEG-IFN did not change significantly. HCV-RNA disappeared at the 4th week and sustatined virus response was achieved thereafter. No side effects were observed during the treatment of 24 weeks. PEG-IFN monotherapy with dose modification may be a safe and effective treatment for HCV infection in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.