Epidemiology and clinical features of HIV infection/AIDS in Korea.

HIV infection/AIDS shows characteristic epidemiological and clinical patterns according to the region, country, and race. The epidemiological and clinical patterns of HIV infection/ AIDS in Korea was investigated by retrospectively analyzing the medical records of 176 HIV-infected persons who visited two major referral hospitals of AIDS in Korea from 1985 to April 2000. The most common transmission route was heterosexual contact (52.3%), followed by homosexual contact (23.9%). Among the opportunistic diseases, candidiasis was the most prevalent (21.6%), followed by Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (15.9%), tuberculosis (12.5%), and CMV infection (9.1%). The most common initial AIDS-defining opportunistic disease was tuberculosis (33.3%). The most common causes of death were tuberculosis (25.7%) and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (25.7%). This study describes the epidemiological and clinical patterns of HIV infection/AIDS in Korea, which not only enables us to accurately understand HIV infection/ AIDS in this country, but eventually to aid in establishing effective preventive measures and treatment guidelines in Korea.

Relationship between intraocular pressure and systemic health parameters in a Korean population.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between intraocular pressure (IOP) and age and obesity, adjusted for systemic health parameters such as sex and mean blood pressure, in a Korean population. METHODS: A total of 13 212 healthy participants underwent automated multiphasic tests, including tonometry, automated perimetry, fundus photography, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI). Six age groups were used, divided by decades ranging from 20-29 years to 70+ years. The association between IOP and systemic health para-meters was examined using cross-sectional analysis. RESULTS: The median age of participants was 47.6 years (range 20-84 years), and 6684 (50.6%) of participants were men. The mean IOP of participants was 15.5 mmHg. The mean IOP, blood pressure and BMI values were significantly higher in men than in women (P < 0.05). The overall prevalence of ocular hypertension, defined as IOP >21 mmHg without signs of glaucomatous visual field loss or optic disc damage, was 6.1% in men and 2.5% in women. Intraocular pressure was associated with mean blood pressure, sex, age and BMI by multiple regression analysis (P < 0.05). The relationship between IOP and age adjusted for sex, mean blood pressure and BMI had a significantly negative tendency for both sexes (P < 0.05). Body mass index had a significantly positive relation with IOP after controlling for age, sex and mean blood pressure in men (P < 0.05), but not in women. CONCLUSIONS: In this Korean population, after multiple adjustment, IOP was found to decrease with age and to increase with BMI in men.