National Trends in Sadness, Suicidality, and COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Risk Factors Among South Korean Adolescents From 2005 to 2021.

Importance: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on daily life, limited research exists on the prevalence and risk factors of suicidality and sadness among South Korean adolescents. Objectives: To examine whether the observed sadness and suicidality in the early to middle periods of the COVID-19 pandemic differed from the expected level and to investigate changes in risk factors for sadness and suicidality. Design, Setting, and Participants: This nationwide serial cross-sectional survey study used data on 1 109 776 Korean adolescents aged 13 to 18 years from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey from 2005 to 2021. Exposure: The COVID-19 pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures: The pattern of changes in the percentage or proportion of sadness or suicidality, as well as the risk factors for sadness or suicidality. The transitional effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was assessed using weighted odds ratios (wORs) or weighted beta coefficients with 95% CIs. Results: Between 2005 and 2021, 1 109 776 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 15.0 [1.7] years; 51.5% male adolescents; and 51.7% in grades 7-9 and 48.3% in grades 10-12) were included in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. The slope of the long-term trends in sadness and suicidality decreased in the prepandemic period (sadness: from 37.8% [95% CI, 37.4%-38.2%] in 2005-2007 to 26.1% [95% CI, 25.9%-26.4%] in 2016-2019; suicidality: from 23.0% [95% CI, 22.7%-23.3%] in 2005-2007 to 12.3% [95% CI, 12.1%-12.5%] in 2016-2019), whereas the slope increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (sadness: from 25.0% [95% CI, 24.5%-25.6%] in 2020 to 26.6% [95% CI, 26.1%-27.1%] in 2021; trend difference in ß, 0.249 [95% CI, 0.236-0.262]; suicidality: from 10.7% [95% CI, 10.3%-11.1%] in 2020 to 12.5% [95% CI, 12.1%-12.9%] in 2021; trend difference in ß, 0.328 [95% CI, 0.312-0.344]). The trends presented a similar tendency in the subgroups according to sex, school grade, residential area, smoking status, and current alcohol use. Compared with the prepandemic period, the risk factors associated with sadness during the pandemic were younger age (wOR, 0.907; 95% CI, 0.881-0.933), female sex (wOR, 1.031; 95% CI, 1.001-1.062), urban residence (wOR, 1.120; 95% CI, 1.087-1.153), current smoking status (wOR, 1.134; 95% CI, 1.059-1.216), and current alcohol use (wOR, 1.051; 95% CI, 1.002-1.102). Female sex (wOR, 1.064; 95% CI, 1.021-1.109), urban residence (wOR, 1.117; 95% CI, 1.074-1.162), and low economic status (wOR, 1.286; 95% CI, 1.180-1.403) were the risk factors significantly associated with suicidality after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Conclusions and Relevance: In this nationwide serial cross-sectional survey study of South Korean adolescents, the slope of the prevalence of sadness and suicidality increased during the COVID-19 pandemic after a decrease prior to the pandemic. The findings suggest that public health measures are needed to recognize vulnerable groups with risk factors and to prevent an increase in sadness and suicidality among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vertigo and Dizziness After Coronavirus Disease-2019 Vaccination: A Nationwide Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Side effects occurring after COVID-19 vaccination can include vertigo and dizziness. Despite its high incidence, few studies to date have assessed dizziness/vertigo after vaccination. The present study investigated the incidence of dizziness/vertigo after COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea. METHODS: Adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency from February 26, 2021, to July 31, 2022 (week 74) were analyzed. The incidence rates of dizziness/vertigo in subjects vaccinated with 5 COVID-19 vaccines, AZD1222 (AstraZeneca), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), JNJ-78436735 (Janssen), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), and NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax), were determined. RESULTS: A total of 126 725 952 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered, with 473 755 suspected adverse reactions (374 per 100 000 vaccinations) reported. Vertigo/dizziness was reported after the administration of 68 759 doses, or 54.3 per 100 000 vaccinations, making it the third most common adverse reaction after headache and muscle pain. CONCLUSION: Dizziness/vertigo was generally a mild adverse reaction after COVID-19 vaccination, but it was the third most common adverse reaction in Korea. Studies are necessary to clarify the causal relationship between vaccination and dizziness/vertigo and to prepare subjects for this possible adverse reaction.

Comparing the Clinical Manifestations of Bell's Palsy between Pre-COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19 Pandemic Periods.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has been shown to affect the onset and severity of various diseases. We examined whether the clinical characteristics of Bell's palsy differed between before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2021, 1839 patients were diagnosed and treated for Bell's palsy at Kyung Hee University Hospital. These patients were divided into a pre-COVID period group and COVID-19 period group, and the clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: There were 1719 patients in the pre-COVID period group and 120 patients in the COVID-19 period group. There were no between-group differences in sex (p = 0.103) or in the presence of underlying hypertension (p = 0.632) or diabetes (p = 0.807). Regarding symptoms, there were no significant between-group differences in otalgia, dizziness, tinnitus, hyperacusis, or hearing loss (p = 0.304, p = 0.59, p = 0.351, p = 0.605, and p = 0.949). There were also no significant between-group differences in electroneurography results (p = 0.398), electromyography results (p = 0.331), House-Brackmann Grade at visit (p = 0.634), or recovery rate after treatment (p = 0.525). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to our expectation that Bell's palsy cases during the COVID-19 pandemic would show different clinical features than those occurring before COVID-19, the present study found no differences in clinical features or prognosis.

National trends in physical activity among adolescents in South Korea before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2009-2021.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several previous studies from different countries showed that physical activity (PA) decreased during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, few studies have examined the recent tendency of PA in the adolescent population. Thus, we aimed to investigate the long-term trend of PA in Korean youth and the prevalence changes between before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (KYRBS) was collected for consecutive years between 2009 and 2021. The period was separated into prepandemic (2009-2019), early-pandemic (2020), and mid-pandemic (2021). Self-reported amount of PA was categorized into four groups (insufficient, aerobic, muscle strengthening, and both physical activities) according to World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines. A total of 840 488 adolescents aged 12-18 who fully responded to the survey were selected (response rate: 95.2%). The 13-year trends in the proportion of adolescents who reported aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities met or exceeded 2020 WHO exercise guidelines for adolescents plateaued (11.9% from 2009 to 2011, 14.2% from 2018 to 2019, 14.4% from 2020, and 14.0% from 2021); however, the slope decreased during the pandemic (ßdiff , -0.076; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.123 to -0.029). Proportion of sufficient aerobic exercise among adolescents sharply decreased midst the pandemic (28.0% from 2009 to 2011, 29.4% from 2018 to 2019, and 23.8% from 2020; ßdiff , -0.266; 95% CI, -0.306 to -0.226) but increased again in 2021 (26.0% from mid-COVID 19; 95% CI, 25.4-26.7). Similar patterns were observed in Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) score (MET-min/week; 804.1 from 2018 to 2019, 720.9 from 2020, and 779.6 from 2021). The mean difference in MET score between pre-COVID and post-COVID was -55.4 MET-min/week (95% CI, -70.5 to -40.3). Through a nationwide representative study, there was no significant difference with regard to the number of Korean adolescents who achieved the PA guidelines (pre and postpandemic); however, the prevalence of recommended levels of PA needs to increase more based on the trend before the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of this study suggest reinforcement of the importance of public health policies for Korean youths to be more physically active, especially during and after the pandemic.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Otitis Media.

Otitis media is one of the most common diseases in children, with 80% of children experiencing it by the age of three years. Therefore, the resulting social burden is enormous. In addition, many countries still suffer from complications due to otitis media. Meanwhile, COVID-19 has affected many diseases, with otitis media being one of the most strongly affected. This review aims to find out how COVID-19 has affected otitis media and its significance. A series of measures brought about by COVID-19, including emphasis on personal hygiene and social distancing, had many unexpected positive effects on otitis media. These can be broadly classified into four categories: first, the incidence of otitis media was drastically reduced. Second, antibiotic prescriptions for otitis media decreased. Third, the incidence of complications of otitis media was reduced. Fourth, the number of patients visiting the emergency room due to otitis media decreased. The quarantine measures put in place due to COVID-19 suppressed the onset and exacerbation of otitis media. This has great implications for the treatment and prevention of otitis media.