Prevalence and Risk Factors of Functional Dyspepsia in Health Check-up Population: A Nationwide Multicenter Prospective Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, and FD imposes social and economic burden worldwide. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence and risk factors of FD in health check-up population in tertiary centers in Korea. METHODS: A nationwide multicenter prospective study was performed at 9 tertiary healthcare centers in Korea between September 2016 and June 2017. A total of 2525 subjects were investigated based on endoscopic findings and questionnaires with the Rome III criteria, and Helicobacter pylori serology (IgG). RESULTS: A total of 1714 subjects without organic disease were enrolled. The mean (± SD) age was 51.5 (± 12.7) years, and 917 patients (53.5%) were female. The proportion of H. pylori seropositivity was 51.0% (874/1714). The prevalence of FD was 10.3% (176/1714), and the subtypes of postprandial distress syndrome alone, epigastric pain syndrome alone, and postprandial distress syndrome-epigastric pain syndrome overlap were 4.8%, 3.0%, and 2.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that female gender (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.14–2.21) and education below college level (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01–2.07) were related to FD. Multivariate analysis based on age 60 showed female gender as a significant (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.06–7.94) factor in the group ≥60 years. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of FD was 10.3% in the health check-up population in Korea. Female sex and education below college level were risk factors for FD. Female sex is a risk factor for FD in old age, underscoring the need for close attention in this age group.

Chemoprevention of Gastric Cancer: Statins

Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Because the gastric cancer-related mortality rate is expected to increase, chemo-preventive strategies for gastric cancer are required. Statins inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, the enzyme involved in the rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis. Several studies have shown that statins have potential protective effects against gastric cancer; however, other studies have reported contradictory results. Therefore, further studies are needed to clarify the role of statins in the chemoprevention of gastric cancer.

Characteristics of Hypoglycemia Pateints Visiting the Emergency Department of a University Hospital / 임상당뇨병

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycemia is an important obstacle in the treatment of diabetes. When diabetic patients experience hypoglycemia, thorough glycemic control is more difficult. We evaluated the factors associated with risk of hypoglycemia and identified whether the demographic and clinical characteristics or the medication pattern changed during the study period. METHODS: This study was conducted retrospectively with 7 years of data from one university hospital emergency department. We evaluated the medical records of 396 diabetic patients who visited the emergency room with hypoglycemia between January 2008 and December 2014. Hypoglycemia was defined as a serum glucose level less than 70 mg/dL or an event requiring the assistance of another person to actively corrective action. RESULTS: The mean age, duration of diabetes, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of the study subjects were 71 ± 12.2 years, 12.7 ± 8.8 years, and 6.7 ± 1.39%, respectively. Among the subjects, 55% had a HbA1c level lower than 6.5%. Two-thirds of the study subjects received sulfonylurea, and one-third were treated with insulin. We observed a decreasing trend in the number of hypoglycemia cases during the study period. This trend might be partly explained by the decrease in sulfonylurea use and increase in dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor prescription during the study period. CONCLUSION: The clinical characteristics of subjects with hypoglycemia were old age, long duration of diabetes, relatively low HbA1c, and comorbidities. We found that hypoglycemia events in diabetic patients decreased in number in conjunction with the changing pattern of use of hypoglycemic agents.

Septic Shock with Acute Kidney Injury due to Obstructive Uropathy by Uterine Prolapse, Documented in a Urodynamic Study / 대한내과학회지

A 76-year-old woman with high fever and low blood pressure was admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of septic shock of unknown cause. A meticulous physical examination revealed a uterine prolapse with marked lower abdominal distention, suggesting urinary retention. After manual reduction of the uterine prolapse and insertion of a urinary catheter, the patient was managed with antibiotics for a presumed urinary tract infection. Escherichia coli was cultured on urine and blood culture media. Several days later the patient underwent a gynecological operation (anterior-posterior colporrhaphy) to correct the underlying cause of the obstructive uropathy. A preoperative and postoperative urodynamic study demonstrated marked urinary retention due to uterine prolapse. Pelvic organ prolapse including the uterus is not rare in older women. However, this common gynecological problem can cause lethal obstructive uropathy, such as uroseptic shock and acute kidney injury, if complications are present.

Mechanical ventilation-associated pneumothorax presenting with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in patients with acute respiratory failure / 영남의대학술지

The prevalence of pneumothorax cases among Intensive Care Unit patients who require mechanical ventilation ranges from 4%-15%. A pneumothorax remains one of the most serious complications of positive pressure ventilation. It can be diagnosed in a critically ill patient through a physical examination or radiographic studies that include chest radiographs, ultrasonography, or computed tomography scanning. However, in a critically ill patient, the diagnosis of a pneumothorax is often complicated by other diseases and by difficulties in imaging sick and unconscious patients. Although electrocardiogram changes associated with a pneumothorax have been described for many years, there has been no report of such among patients who require mechanical ventilation. In this paper, we report 2 cases of a spontaneous pneumothorax with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure.

The Optimal Commencement Time of Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Bleeding Peptic Ulcer Disease

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori eradication promotes healing and prevents recurrence of H. pylori associated peptic ulcer disease (PUD). However it is unclear whether H. pylori eradication therapy commenced on the initial course of treatment is more effective compared to therapy at a later course of treatment. We evaluated the optimal commencement time of eradication of H. pylori in patients with hemorrhagic PUD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2002 through July 2013, a total of 486 patients who had hemorrhagic PUD were retrospectively evaluated. After exclusion, 79 patients who received H. pylori eradication therapy were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty patients with duodenal ulcer (38%) and 49 patients with gastric ulcer (62%) were enrolled. The overall eradication rate were 96.2%. The eradication rates of early eradication vs. late eradication (divided by standards of 3 days after diagnosis of PUD) were 94.3% vs. 100%, and was not significantly different (P=0.55). CONCLUSIONS: According to our study, medication commencement time does not have an effect on the eradication rate of H. pylori infection in patients with hemorrhagic PUD.

A Case of Successful Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of Gastric Adenoma in a Patient with Congenital Factor VII Deficiency

Congenital factor VII deficiency is a rare hemorrhagic disorder, and invasive procedures are likely to cause excessive bleeding in these patients. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been accepted as a curative treatment modality for gastric adenoma, early gastric cancer (EGC) and any other mucosal and submucosal tumors. The most important complications of ESD are bleeding and perforation. The use of antiplatelet agents or coagulopathies are risk factors for these complications. There are only few reports of successful ESD with coagulation disorders. We report a case of a 70-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with a gastric adenoma and factor VII deficiency. The patient was successfully treated with ESD. Before ESD, recombinant Coagulation factor VIIa was injected, and the procedure was performed successfully without any complications. In conclusion, ESD can be performed successfully in patients with factor VII deficiency, when recombinant human factor VIIa is administered properly.