BACKGROUND: This study examined how mental health status influenced suicidal ideation among community-dwelling elderly at senior citizen centers in Korea.METHODS: Data were obtained from a survey on elderly mental health in Jeollanam-do (a southwest province in Korea) conducted by the Jeollanam-do Provincial Mental Health and Welfare Center. In total, 4,113 people were recruited from all 22 cities in Jeollanam-do. We evaluated sociodemographic factors and mental health status using self-reported questionnaires, namely, the Suicidal Ideation Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean Version, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Korean version of the General Health Questionale-12, and Satisfaction with Life Scale, to assess psychosocial factors affecting suicidal ideation. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the factors associated with suicidal ideation.RESULTS: Among the 4,113 subjects, 325 (7.9%) reported recent suicidal ideation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that depression (p<0.001), low-level social support and life satisfaction (p=0.006), poor general mental health (p<0.001), physical disease (p=0.009), and poor self-perceived health status (p=0.039) were significantlyassociated with suicidal ideation.CONCLUSION: The presence of physical disease, poor self-perceived health status, depression, and poor general mental health conditions increase the risk of suicide ideation among the elderly. Social support and life satisfaction affected their suicidal ideation independently of depression.
Aged ; Depression ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mental Health ; Psychology ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide

Gymnophalloides seoi (Digenea: Gymnophallidae) is a human intestinal trematode contracted by eating raw oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the Republic of Korea (=Korea). It has been known to be highly endemic in Aphae Island, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Province). However, recent epidemiological status of G. seoi has not been reported since the 1990s. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of G. seoi metacercariae in natural and cultured oysters collected from 3 islands and 2 coastal areas in western parts of Korea. The oysters were examined using the artificial digestion method followed by stereomicroscopy. The overall positive rate of G. seoi metacercariae in natural oysters was 66.0% (99/150), and the oysters collected from Yubu Island showed the highest infection rate (74.0%). However, the metacercarial density per oyster was relatively low (1.5–2.4 per oyster). By contrast, no metacercaria was found in cultured oysters purchased from 2 coastal areas in Chungcheongnam-do. Thus, we could confirm that natural oysters produced from 3 western coastal islands are infected with G. seoi metacercariae, whereas cultured oysters purchased from 2 coastal areas were free from infection.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Digestion ; Eating ; Humans ; Islands ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Metacercariae ; Methods ; Ostreidae ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to provide health screening for low-income people and early diagnosis and treatment for health risk factors and diseases for the promotion of the health of vulnerable people. This study was also aimed toward the implementation of a comprehensive cancer health screening system to improve quality of life.METHODS: This study was conducted in 1,546 subjects aged >40 years who underwent free cancer screening between February and December 2017 in the Jeollanam-do region. In the first, we performed a survey HBsAg, Anti-HBs, 54 peoples with hepatitis B abnormalities were checked to secondary screening, HBeAg/Anti-HBe, HBV DNA.RESULTS: The overall HBsAb total seropositivity rate was 59.8% (924/1,546), and the HBsAb total seronegativity rate was 40.2% (622/1,546). The HBsAg total seropositivity rate was 3.8% (58/1,546) overall, 1.7% (26/1,546) in the men, and 2.1% (32/1,546) in the women. The HBeAg seropositivity rate was 11.1% (6/54) in the second hepatitis B screening.CONCLUSION: We found that the positivity and negativity rates of HBsAb (Anti-HBs) were similar to those reported in other studies, but the positivity rate of HBeAg was slightly higher in the second hepatitis screening. In future surveys, factors must be analyzed, including an additional investigation of the related health risk factors to confirm the factors that affect diagnosis and initial evaluation results.
Antigens, Surface ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Vaccination

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the inflow and outflow patterns of emergency department patients with si-gun-gu in the Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam areas. METHODS: Data from the Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam were extracted from the National Emergency Department Information System in 2016. The extracted data (on 42 areas in Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam) using the variables of the patient's address (zip code) and the emergency medical institution code (emergency medical institution address) were used to calculate the relevance index and commitment index. The calculated indices were classified into the regional types by applying NbClust and cluster analysis (K-means) of the R package. RESULTS: The relevance indices ranged from 12.5% to 90.4%, and the commitment indices ranged from 9.2% to 90.3%. The results of cluster analysis with the relevance indices and commitment indices revealed three types for 39 areas. In cluster 1, the relevance indices ranged from 43.5% to 61.6%, and the commitment indices ranged from 9.2% to 49.5%. Three out of the thirty-nine areas were classified as the inflow type. In cluster 2, the relevance indices ranged from 12.5% to 56.0% and the commitment indices ranged from 62.5% to 90.3%; 12 areas were classified as the outflow type. The areas in cluster 3 were classified as the self-sufficient type, with relevance indices ranging from 60.1% to 90.4% and commitment indices ranging from 59.0% to 89.7% for 24 areas. CONCLUSION: Three area types and 11 out of 12 areas classified as outflow types were found to be emergency medical vulnerable areas. The results of this study can be used to establish local emergency medical policies.
Cluster Analysis ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Jeollabuk-do ; Jeollanam-do

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Geographic distribution of hypertension management in Korea has never been reported. We investigated temporal and regional trends of hypertension management in Korea. METHODS: For each calendar year from 2002 to 2016, we identified 2,423,245 to 7,549,989 persons aged ≥30 years treated for hypertension (total 80,564,109 cases). We calculated yearly age-sex standardized rates for medication adherence, combination therapy, blood test, and urine test according to geographic regions. We then used multivariate logistic regression to calculate odds ratios for hypertension management adjusted for individual-level sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: Adherence rates have markedly increased from 24.4% (2002) to 71.6% (2016) nationwide. Regional difference was prominent in 2002 (highest, 31.7% in Seoul; lowest, 14.4% in Jeonbuk), but has become less noticeable over 15 years (highest, 73.1% in Daejeon; lowest, 69.0% in Jeonnam, 2016). Combination therapy rates increased from 42.8% (2002) to 61.0% (2011), but are in decreasing trend after 2011. Blood test rates were 58.8% in 2016, whereas urine test rates have been stagnant below 50% across all regions. Geographic variations of combination therapy and complication screening rates were not profound. Results from multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for age and sex, were in agreement with trends observed by standardized rates. The odds ratios remained unchanged when the models were further adjusted for employment status and household income. CONCLUSIONS: Regional difference in hypertension management was evident in the past, but has become less apparent over the last 15 years in Korea.
Employment ; Family Characteristics ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Medication Adherence ; Odds Ratio ; Seoul ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis

The purpose of this research is to describe how Hansen's disease patients experienced the modern system of control of Hansen's disease introduced by Japan, and the inimical attitude of society against them in colonial Korea. The study also seeks to reveal the development of the system to eliminate Hansen's disease patients from their home and community to larger society and leprosarium in this era. Sorokdo Charity hospital (SCH), a hospital for Hansen's disease patients, was built in 1916, and vagrant Hansen's disease patients began to be isolated in this hospital beginning in 1917 by the Japanese Government-General of Korea (JGGK). Once the police detained and sent vagrant Hansen's disease patients to SCH, stigma and discrimination against them strengthened in Korean society. Because of strong stigma and discrimination in Korean society, Hansen's disease patients suffered from daily threats of death. First, their family members were not only afraid of the contagiousness of Hansen's disease but also the stigma and discrimination against themselves by community members. If a family had a Hansen's disease patient, the rest of community members would discriminate against the entire family. Furthermore, because Hansen's disease patients were excluded from any economic livelihood such as getting a job, the existence of the patients was a big burden for their families. Therefore, many patients left their homes and began their vagrancy. The patients who could not leave their homes committed suicide or were killed by their family members. The victims of such deaths were usually women, who were at the lower position in the family hierarchy. In the strong Confucian society in Korea, more female patients were killed by themselves than male patients. Moreover, all of patients victims in the murder were women. This shows that the stigma and discrimination against Hansen's disease patients within their families were stronger against women than men. Strong stigma and discrimination made the patients rely on superstition such as cannibalism. Patients believed that there were not any effective medicine. There were a few reports of patients who were cured, and many were treated with chaulmoogra oil in the modern Hansen's disease hospitals. Eating human flesh was known as a folk remedy for Hansen's disease. As such, patients began to kill healthy people, usually children, to eat their flesh. Increased stigma led to increased victims. Hansen's disease patients who left their homes faced many threats during their vagrancy. For survival, they established their own organizations in the late 1920's. The patients who were rejected to be hospitalized in the Western Hansen's disease hospital at Busan, Daegu, and Yeosu organized self-help organizations. The purpose of these organizations was first to secure the medicine supply of chaulmoogra oil. However, as stigma and discrimination strengthened, these organizations formed by Hansen's disease patients demanded the Japanese Government-General of Korea to send and segregate them on Sorok island. They did not know the situation of the inside of this island because news media described it as a haven for patients, and very few patients were discharged from this island to tell the truth. On this island, several hundreds of patients were killed by compulsory heavy labor, starvation, and violence. They were not treated as patients, but as something to be eliminated. Under strong suppression on this island, the patients resisted first by escaping this island. However, in 1937, some patients tried to kill a Korean staff but failed. Attempted murderers were all put in the jail, also located on this island. In 1941, a patient murdered another patient who had harassed other patients, and in 1942, Chunsang Lee, a patient, killed the director of Sorok island. These instances show that there was a system to eliminate Hansen's disease patients in colonial Korea.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Busan ; Cannibalism ; Charities ; Child ; Daegu ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Eating ; Female ; Homicide ; Humans ; Japan ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Leprosy ; Male ; Medicine, Traditional ; Police ; Starvation ; Suicide ; Superstitions ; United Nations ; Violence

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major infectious disease in South Korea causing substantial disease burden, particularly in the elderly. This study aimed to identify the case detection rate of mobile TB screening for the elderly conducted in the Jeollanam-do region and to analyze risk factors of active TB. METHODS: We screened the elderly population (≥65 years old) in Jeollanam-do from August to December 2017. Chest radiography was performed for all participants. Participants with TB presumptive signs were asked to submit sputum specimen(s). Sputum smear, culture, and polymerase chain reaction analyses were performed. Cascade analysis, chi-squared tests, and Fisher exact tests were used to evaluate screening performance. RESULTS: In total, 12,402 participants were screened, and 211 (1.7%) were suspected to have active TB; 181 of the suspected patients (85.8%) underwent sputum smear test, and 16 (8.8%) patients were confirmed to have TB. The TB prevalence among the elderly was bacteriologically confirmed to be 129 per 100,000 individuals, which was similar to national TB notification data for the same age groups. The proportion of active TB cases increased with age, and differed based on sex and past TB history. However, TB-related symptoms, comorbidity status, and TB screening history within 12 months were not predictive of active TB. CONCLUSION: This study identified that the prevalence rate was similar to national TB notification data from the same age groups. Periodic, community-based, systematic TB screening among the elderly population is recommended.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Communicable Diseases ; Comorbidity ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Pilot Projects ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Radiography ; Risk Factors ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: We aimed to analyze the frequency of eosinophilia-associated diseases and to search for possible markers that may be useful for their differential diagnosis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 148 patients with peripheral blood eosinophil count of more than 500/µL who visited the Allergy Department of Chonnam National University Hospital for the first time from January to December 2016. Blood eosinophilia was categorized as mild (<1,500/µL), moderate (1,500–5,000/µL), and severe (>5,000/µL). RESULTS: Blood eosinophilia was mostly caused by allergic diseases (41.9%), parasitic infestation (23.6%), and drug allergy (19.6%). Eosinophil count was higher in patients with parasitic infestation (P<0.01), drug allergy (P<0.01), hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES, P<0.001), or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA, P<0.001) than in those with allergic diseases. The eosinophilic cationic protein level was higher in patients with HES than in those with allergic diseases (P<0.05) and parasitic infestation (P<0.05). The total IgE level was lower in patients with HES than in those with parasitic infestation (P<0.05) and EGPA (P<0.05). The vitamin B12 level was higher in patients with HES than in those with parasitic infestation (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in tryptase levels between the groups. The most common cause of mild eosinophilia was allergic diseases (59.8%), followed by parasitic infestation (22.7%) and drug allergy (13.4%). The common causes of moderate eosinophilia were drug allergy (37.8%), parasitic infestation (29.7%), and allergic diseases (10.8%). The common causes of severe eosinophilia were EGPA (28.6%), HES (21.4%), parasitic infestation (14.3%), and drug allergy (14.3%). CONCLUSION: Common causes of blood eosinophilia in patients who visit the allergy department are allergic diseases, parasitic infestation, and drug allergy. Several markers, including eosinophil count, total IgE, and vitamin B12, may be useful for the differential diagnosis of eosinophilia-associated diseases.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Jeollanam-do ; Medical Records ; Parasitic Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Tryptases ; Vitamin B 12

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess oncological outcomes of postoperative radiotherapy plus chemotherapy (CRT) versus chemotherapy alone (CTx) in stage II or III upper rectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 263 consecutive patients with pathologic stage II or III upper rectal cancer who underwent primary curative resection with postoperative CRT or CTx from January 2008 to December 2014 at Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. Multivariate and propensity score matching analyses were used to reduce selection bias. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 48.1 months for the entire cohort and 53.5 months for the matched cohort. In subgroup analysis of the propensity score matched cohort, the 3-year local recurrence-free survival was 94.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.8%–100%) in the CRT group and 90.1% (95% CI, 82.8%–97.9%) in the CTx group (P = 0.370). No significant difference in disease-free survival was observed according to treatment type. On multivariate analysis, circumferential resection margin involvement (hazard ratio [HR], 2.386; 95% CI, 1.190–7.599; P = 0.032), N stage (HR, 6.262; 95% CI, 1.843–21.278, P = 0.003), and T stage (HR, 5.896, 95% CI, 1.298–6.780, P = 0.021) were identified as independent risk factors for local recurrence of tumors of the upper rectum. CONCLUSION: Omission of radiotherapy in an adjuvant treatment setting may not jeopardize oncologic outcomes in stages II and III upper rectal cancer.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Multivariate Analysis ; Propensity Score ; Radiotherapy ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Rectum ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Selection Bias

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with Hansen’s disease are the most vulnerable to hepatitis C. However, no data on the treatment efficacy of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) are available in this group. Therefore, we elucidated the prevalence and clinical outcomes of hepatitis C in persons affected by leprosy in Sorokdo, Jeollanam-do, Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively included 50 leprosy patients with positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA test results (group A) hospitalized at the Sorokdo National Hospital from May 2016 to March 2018 and 73 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with DAAs at the Chonnam National University Hospital (group B) from May 2016 to December 2017. RESULTS: Overall, at the Sorokdo National Hospital, positive HCV antibody and HCV RNA rates were 18.4% and 11.0%, respectively. The mean participant age was 76.5±7 years, and 58% of participants were men. The genotypes were type 1b in 44% (22 out of 50) and type 2 in 56% (28 out of 50). Sustained virologic response was achieved at a rate of 95.5% (21/22) in genotype 1b and 92.9% (26/28) in genotype 2 patients. Ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia occurred in 57.1% (16/28) of patients with genotype 2. Among these, 28.5% (8/28) received blood transfusions. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment efficacy was not different between the leprosy-affected population and the general population. However, severe ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia requiring transfusion was present in 28.5% of genotype 2 patients. Therefore, we suggest ribavirin-free DAAs for the treatment of genotype 2 hepatitis C in leprosy-affected persons in the future.
Anemia, Hemolytic ; Antiviral Agents ; Blood Transfusion ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis C ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Leprosy ; Male ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; RNA ; Treatment Outcome