The Usefulness of the Glycosylated Hemoglobin Level for the Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the Korean Population

BACKGROUND: An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is the current method used for screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). OGTT is a relatively complicated procedure and is expensive. Thus, new strategies that do not require fasting or more than a single blood draw may improve the diagnosis of GDM and increase the rate of GDM testing. We investigated the utility of monitoring glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels for the diagnosis of GDM. METHODS: The data from 992 pregnant women with estimated gestational ages ranging from 24 to 28 weeks were retrospectively reviewed. There were 367 women with plasma glucose levels > or =140 mg/dL 1 hour after a 50-g OGTT. GDM was diagnosed according to the Carpenter-Coustan criteria for a 3-hour 100 g OGTT. A HbA1c assessment was performed at the same time. RESULTS: We enrolled 343 women in this study, and there were 109 women with GDM. The area under the curve the receiver operating characteristic curve for HbA1c detection of GDM was 0.852 (95% confidence interval, 0.808 to 0.897). A HbA1c cutoff value > or =5.35% had maximal points on the Youden index (0.581). The sensitivity was 87.2% and the specificity was 70.9% for diagnosing GDM. A threshold value > or =5.35% indicated that 163 patients had GDM and that 68 (41.7%) were false positive. The positive predictive value was 58.3% at this threshold value. CONCLUSION: Despite substantial progress in methodology, HbA1c values cannot replace OGTT for the diagnosis of GDM.

The High Proportion of Painless Thyroiditis as a Cause of Thyrotoxicosis in Korea / 대한갑상선학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The most common cause of thyrotoxicosis is Graves' disease (GD), while painless thyroiditis (PT) comes in second. In Korea, the treatment of choice for GD is antithyroid drugs (ATDs). Since most cases of PT spontaneously improve, an accurate diagnosis is very important for the proper management of patients presenting with thyrotoxicosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine thyrotoxic patients were routinely checked with 99m Technetium (99mTc) thyroid scan except in pregnant or lactating women. We assessed the patients' clinical characteristics, serum levels of free T4 (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb), thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII), and findings of 99mTc thyroid scan. RESULTS: Among the 99 thyrotoxic patients, 69 were diagnosed with GD and 30 had PT. All of the patients with GD, diagnosed by scan, improved clinically and the thyroid hormone returned to normal with ATDs. All patients with PT improved spontaneously without ATDs. TPOAb and TGAb were positive in 13 (43.3%) and 20 (66.7%) patients with PT, respectively. TPOAb and TGAb were positive in 45 (65.2%) and 44 (63.8%) patients with GD, respectively. TBII was positive in only 73.5% of GD, and was entirely negative in the PT group. Mean FT4 level in GD was higher than in PT, but some patients with PT showed the highest level of FT4. CONCLUSION: PT accounted for a very high proportion of thyrotoxicosis in this study. All parameters investigated such as age, sex, goiter size or nature, level of FT4, TPOAb or TGAb, and TBII were unable to differentiate GD from PT. Considering the increased proportion of PT in the current study, we recommend routine thyroid scan in all thyrotoxic patients except in pregnant or lactating women.

A Case of Q Fever that may Mimic Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by a Coxiella burnetii. Q fever is clinically variable, presenting as asymptomatic infection, pneumonia, hepatitis and endocarditis. Treatment of acute Q fever with doxycycline is usually successful. Autoantibodies, such as anti-mitochondrial antibodies, smooth muscle antibodies (SMA), anti-cardiolipin and lupus anticoagulant, often rise in acute Q fever infection. Some cases may occasionally meet the criteria for autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a first case of Q fever that may mimic systemic lupus erythematosus in Korea.

A Case of Q Fever that may Mimic Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by a Coxiella burnetii. Q fever is clinically variable, presenting as asymptomatic infection, pneumonia, hepatitis and endocarditis. Treatment of acute Q fever with doxycycline is usually successful. Autoantibodies, such as anti-mitochondrial antibodies, smooth muscle antibodies (SMA), anti-cardiolipin and lupus anticoagulant, often rise in acute Q fever infection. Some cases may occasionally meet the criteria for autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a first case of Q fever that may mimic systemic lupus erythematosus in Korea.

A Case of Klinefelter's Syndrome Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Klinefelter's syndrome (KFS) is a gonosomal aberration disease that occurs in males, and is characterized by 47, XXY karyotype, hypogonadism and a lack of secondary sexual characteristics. A potential link between this hormonally deficient syndrome and autoimmune disease, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), has been reported. On the other hand, KFS is rarely reported to be accompanied by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and there are no Korean cases reported. We report the first Korean case of a KFS patient with sero-positive RA and discuss the role of the pathogenesis of RA with KFS.

Lymphoid Interstitial Pneumonia Associated with Primary Sjogren's Syndrome: A Case Report / 결핵및호흡기질환

Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP) is a rare benign lymphoproliferative interstitial lung disease. LIP has been associated with autoimmune disorders, HIV, viral infections, and so on. Once underlying systemic diseases have been excluded, a diagnosis of idiopathic LIP can be made. Although 6 cases of pathologically confirmed LIP have occurred in Korea, thus far none has been associated with primary Sjogren's syndrome. A 44-year-old man was admitted to hospital due to a dry cough and dypsnea on exertion that had been ongoing for 2 months. A chest radiography showed multiple and variable-sized cystic lesions, on both lungs and both interstitial infiltration and consolidation in both lower lung fields. Tests for autoantibody showed positive results of anti-nuclear antibody and anti-Ro/La antibody. The patient underwent a video assisted thoracoscopic surgery biopsy and pathologically confirmed LIP. We report the first known case of LIP-associated with primary Sjogren's syndrome in Korea.