The purpose of this study was to discuss the history of, and concerns regarding, the newly amended criteria of occupational cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases (CCVDs). Since the early 1990s, CCVDs have been the second most common occupational disease, despite fluctuations in their criteria. The first issue was the deletion of cerebral hemorrhage on duty as a recognized occupational disease in 2008. The second issue was the obscurity regarding definitions of an acute stressful event (within 24 hr before disease occurrence), short-term overwork (within 1 week), and chronic overwork (for 3 or more months). In this amendment, chronic overwork was defined as work exceeding 60 hr per week. If the average number of weekly working hours does not exceed 60 hr, night work, physical or psychological workload, or other risk factors should be considered for the recognition of occupational CCVDs. However, these newly amended criteria still have a few limitations, considering that there is research evidence for the occurrence of disease in those working fewer than 60 hr per week, and other risk factors, particularly night work, are underestimated in these criteria. Thus, we suggest that these concerns be actively considered during future amendment and approval processes.
Cardiovascular Diseases/*economics ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/*economics ; Humans ; Insurance, Health/economics ; Occupational Diseases/*economics ; Organization and Administration ; Republic of Korea ; Work Capacity Evaluation ; Workers' Compensation/*economics ; *Workload

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome has recently increased. Payments from the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation for compensation for mortality in workers caused by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases have also increased in Korea in recent years. The association of metabolic syndrome and cardiocere brovascular disease has been investigated by several researchers in recent studies. This study was conducted in an attempt to characterize the relationship between metabolic syndrome and Korean cardiocerebrovascular disease risk assessment, and to provide basic data to group health practices for the prevention of cardiocere brovascular disease. METHODS: Health examinations were previously conducted for 1526 male researchers at a private laboratory. The prevalence by age and the odds ratio of metabolic syndrome scores into the "cardiocerebrovascular risk group" (sum of low, intermediate, and high risk groups) of the Korean cardiocerebrovascular disease risk assessment were assessed, in an effort to elucidate the associations between metabolic syndrome and cardiocere brovascular disease risk assessment. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and inclusion in the cardiocerebrovascular risk group was 11.7% and 22.1% respectively. The severity of metabolic syndrome and cardiocerebrovascular risk assessment showed that individuals in their 40's and 50's were at higher risk than those in their 30's (p<0.001). The age-adjusted odds ratio of metabolic syndrome to cardiocere brovascular risk group inclusion was 5.6. CONCLUSIONS: An active prevention program for cardiocerebrovascular disease needs to begin in the 40's, as the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the risk group of cardiocerebrovascular risk assessment peak in the 40's age group. The odds ratio between metabolic syndrome and the cardiocerebrovascular risk group was high, which indicates that metabolic syndrome scores should be utilized as guidelines during the consultation and behavioral modification program for the workplace prevention of cardiocerebrovascular diseases in group health practices.
Age Distribution ; Cardiovascular Diseases/economics/*epidemiology ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/complications/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/complications/*epidemiology ; Prevalence

Cerebro-cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of compensable occupational diseases in Korea as in Japan or Taiwan. However, most countries accept only cardiovascular diseases (ischemic heart diseases) as compensable occupational diseases if any, but not cerebrovascular diseases. Korea has a prescribed list of compensable occupational diseases. CVD was not included in the list until 1993. In the early 1990s, a case of cerebral infarction was accepted as occupational disease by the Supreme Court. The decision was based on the concept that workers' compensation system is one of the social security systems. In 1994, the government has established a diagnostic criterion of CVD. The crude rate of compensated cerebrovascular disease decreased by 60.0% from 18.5 in 2003 to 7.4 in 2008 per 100,000 workers, and that of compensated coronary heart disease decreased by 60.5% from 3.8 in 2003 to 1.5 in 2008 per 100,000 workers. The compensated cases of CVD dramatically increased and reached its peak in 2003. Since many preventive activities were performed by the government and employers, the compensated cases have slowly decreased since 2003 and sharply decreased after 2008 when the diagnostic criterion was amended. The strategic approach is needed essentially because CVDs are common, serious and preventable diseases which lead to economic burden.
*Cardiovascular Diseases/economics/epidemiology/etiology/prevention & control ; *Cerebrovascular Disorders/economics/epidemiology/etiology/prevention & control ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases/economics/*epidemiology/etiology/prevention & control ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; *Workers' Compensation/economics/legislation & jurisprudence

OBJECTIVETo study the condition of economic burden of disease in the countryside and to explore the related factors.

METHODSHuman capital method and two-step method were used in the calculation of economic burden of disease.

RESULTSThe total economic burden of disease among 3359 persons was 3072 225 Yuan. Noncommunicable conditions were accounted for 62.95%, while communicable disease, maternal and perinatal conditions accounted for 24.25%, and injury accounted for 9.83% respectively. The direct economic burden of disease was 1,559,619 Yuan and the indirect economic burden of disease was 1,472,606 Yuan. The economic burden of disease for each person was 914 Yuan. The equal burden of disease among patients with disability and without disability were 3070 Yuan and 680 Yuan respectively (P < 0.001). There was significant difference among different age groups. The influencing factors were found to include having noncommunicable disease, age, disability and the condition of marriage.

CONCLUSIONCorresponding policy to cope with conditions of different age groups needs to be developed to reduce the economic burden of disease in the countryside.

Absenteeism ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; economics ; epidemiology ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; economics ; epidemiology ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Chronic Disease ; economics ; epidemiology ; Communicable Diseases ; economics ; epidemiology ; Cost of Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rural Health

To discuss the distribution of patents' holders for Chinese herbal compounds in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, the patents' holders for Chinese herbal compounds in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular were cluster analyzed by means of simple statistics and cluster analysis. Clustering variables were composed of patent applications, patent maintained number, related papers' quantity, etc. Chinese herbal compound patents' holders were divided into four categories according to their different scientific research and patent strength. It is the magic weapon for Chinese herbal compound patents' holders that have scientific research patents' transforming and make coordination of patent protection and scientific innovation.
Biometry ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; drug therapy ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; drug therapy ; Cluster Analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; economics ; therapeutic use ; Herbal Medicine ; economics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; manpower ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; economics ; Patents as Topic

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amputation ; economics ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Conservative Treatment ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; economics ; Diabetic Foot ; economics ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Female ; Foot Deformities, Acquired ; economics ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Foot Injuries ; economics ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Health Care Costs ; Hospitalization ; economics ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Joint Diseases ; economics ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Length of Stay ; economics ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Ischemia ; epidemiology ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Wound Infection ; economics ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Young Adult