Adult ; Athletic Injuries ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Fatigue ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Periostitis ; epidemiology ; Students ; Young Adult

Asthenopia ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Fatigue ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; Railroads ; Sampling Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the social factors of patients with genital herpes (GH) relapsing and guide GH patients to avoid the related social factors.

METHODSTo select 96 case of patients with recurrent genital herpes of final diagnosis and detailedly record the related social factors before relapsing. The social factors were compared between male and female GH patients, and compared between frequently recurrent (> 6/year) and non-frequently recurrent GH patients (< or = 6/year) too.

RESULTS65.6% (63/96) of recurrent GH patients have certain social factors before relapsing. The main social factors are overtiredness, mental stress and excessive sexual contact. Staying up late and excessive drinking are common social factors, too. There was no significant difference of social factors between male and female GH patients (P >. 05), and also no significant difference between frequently recurrent and non-frequently recurrent GH patients (P > 0.05), too.

CONCLUSIONOvertiredness, mental stress and excessive sexual are the main social elements during inducing genital herpes relapsing. It is important to reduce GH relapsing and spreading of HIV and syphilis by guiding recurrent genital herpes patients to avoid related social elements.

Adult ; Fatigue ; epidemiology ; Female ; Herpes Genitalis ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Sexual Behavior ; Stress, Psychological ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo analyze the job burnout and mental health status of clinicians and the relationship of personality with job burnout and psychological stress, and to investigate the direct or indirect effects of personality on psychological stress.

METHODSMaslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale (EPQ-RSC), and Kessler 10 Scale were administered to 775 clinicians.

RESULTSOf all clinicians, 29.5% had mild burnout, with a score of 22.7 ± 8.18 for psychological stress risk. The effect of personality on emotional exhaustion and cynicism was greater than that on personal accomplishment. Clinicians with a personality of introversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism suffered a higher risk of psychological stress. Personality had both direct and indirect effects on psychological stress. Neuroticism had the strongest effect on psychological stress, with an effect size of 0.55.

CONCLUSIONClinicians have a high level of both job burnout and mental psychological stress risk. Personality is significantly correlated with job burnout and psychological stress risk. Measures depending on personality should be taken for effective intervention.

Anxiety Disorders ; Burnout, Professional ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Neuroticism ; Personality ; Physicians ; psychology ; Risk ; Stress, Psychological ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

"Karoshi" originates from Japan's economic take-off period in the 1960s and 1970s. It is generally believed that overwork lead to the accumulation of fatigue, which triggers the outbreak of potential diseases, and results in sudden death. Karoshi causes great harm to both the community and families because it occurs primarily in 30 to 60 year old young adults. Japan put Karoshi into the category of industrial injury for the first time in 2001 and started to undertake a series of studies in the sociological and pathological fields. However, there is a tremendous gap in the forensic pathological diagnosis domain. In China, research on Karoshi started from the 1990s and is closely related to the reform and opening up policy as well as economic development. According to the incomplete statistics, 600 thousand people die from overwork each year in China, the highest in the world. Karoshi has become one of the most serious social problems in China at the present stage, thus a systematic study in the sociology and forensic pathology fields is urgently required. This paper summarizes the past and present status of Karoshi, and puts forward the problems that need attention during the judicial expertise of Karoshi from forensic pathology perspective.
Adult ; China ; Death, Sudden/etiology* ; Fatigue/epidemiology* ; Forensic Pathology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Stress/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors

There have been many epidemiological and clinical researches on chronic fatigue (CF) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) since the 1990s, but such studies have been quite limited in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the point prevalence of CF and CFS in patients who visited community-based eight primary care clinics in Korea. The study subjects were 1,648 patients aged 18 yr and over who visited one of eight primary care clinics in Korea between the 7th and 17th of May 2001. The physicians determined the status of the subjects through fatigue-related questionnaires, medical history, physical examination, and laboratory tests. The subjects were categorized into no fatigue, prolonged fatigue, CF and then CF were further classified to medically explained CF (Physical CF and Psychological CF) and medically unexplained CF (CFS and idiopathic chronic fatigue). The point prevalence of CF and CFS were 8.4% (95% CI 7.1-9.7%) and 0.6% (95% CI 0.2-1.0%). Medically explained CF was 80.5% of CF, of which 57.1% had psychological causes. The clinical characteristics of CFS were distinguished from explained CF. CF was common but CFS was rare in community-based primary care settings in Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Chronic Disease ; Community Health Services/statistics & numerical data ; Comparative Study ; Fatigue/*epidemiology ; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Sex Distribution

OBJECTIVETo investigate the current status and characteristics of work-related fatigue among scientific and technical personnel and its associated factors, and to provide a scientific basis for further interventions.

METHODSA cross-sectional survey was conducted in the staff from a single scientific institution, using a self-administered questionnaire. Basic information of participants, Fatigue Scale-14, and Job Content Questionnaire were collected.

RESULTSThe prevalence of work-related fatigue among the scientific and technical personnel was 54.6%; work-related fatigue was positively correlated with occupational stress (rs = 0.384, P < 0.05). Significant differences in the scores, proportions, and types of fatigue were found between different types of occupational stress. The associated factors of work-related fatigue included occupational stress profiles, social support, and educational status. A higher risk of work-related fatigue was found in the staff under high stress, compared with those under low stress (OR = 8.5, 95%CI = 3.9∼18.7). Social support served as a protective factor for work-related fatigue, while a higher level of education was correlated with more severe work-related fatigue.

CONCLUSIONWork-related fatigue is common and serious among scientific and technical personnel, especially in those under high stress. Effective interventions according to occupational stress are of great importance to reduce work-related fatigue.

Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fatigue ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Research Personnel ; psychology ; Risk Factors ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis has decreased progressively after the control of the tuberculosis began as national control. But as diabetes, malignancy, immunodeficiency disease recently tend to be increased, the tuberculosis become to the important national health problem. So, this study was designed to observe the state and the change of the prevalence and the clinical status of pulmonary tuberculosis for recent 10 years at one women's university. METHOD: We retrospectively investigated the epidemiology and the clinical status of 612 patients who were registered at the Ewha Womans University Health Center by analyzing records from 1983 to 1992. RESULTS: 1) The prevalence rate had been steadily decreased from 0.63% in 1983 to 0.11% in 1992. The prevalence of freshman and the incidence rate according to the entrance year while in the university significantly decreased since 1989. 2) In classifying by registered source, 45.6% of students were detected by annual periodical health examination, 34.5% by entrance physical examination, 12.0% by hospital, 5.4% by health center clinic, 2.5% by reentrance physical examination, sequentially. 3) The students with past history of tuberculosis were 70(11.4%) and 61(10%) suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis. The patients with family history of tuberculosis were 142(23.3%). 4) There were 530(86.6%) with minimal disease, 79(12.9%) with moderate and only 3(0.5%) with far advanced, when classified by the severity of disease. 5) The initial symptoms were mild breathing difficulty in 30.1%, sweating in 14.9%, fatigue in 14.3%, febrile sense in 11.7%, hemoptysis in 8.2%, sequentially. 6) The duration of treatment was 10.6+/-3.6 months in mild group, 14.9+/-5.2 months in the moderate group(P<0.05). 7) The side reactions of the drug were GI trouble in 7.2%, hepatitis in 1.8%, skin rash in 0.8% and streptomycin side in used patients in 9.1%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among the students in one women's university was significantly lower than that of university students and 20-24 year-old age group announced in tuberculosis survey on a national scale, and significantly decreased since 1989. The treatment effect was desirable in student's group managed by university health center.
Epidemiology ; Exanthema ; Fatigue ; Female ; Hemoptysis ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Physical Examination ; Prevalence ; Respiration ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptomycin ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

OBJECTIVETo probe the tendency of physiological and psychological change of armored vehicle drivers working continuously in hot environment.

METHODSTen cross-designed standard subjects were divided into control group and driver group. The driver group worked continuously in 32 degrees C approximately 38 degrees C and RH 50% approximately 80% environment. Heart rate, body temperature, systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were synchronously and dynamically determined during work. Psychological parameters such as profile of mood states (POMS) questionnaire, serial addition/subtraction (SAS) and two-digit search (TDS) selected from neurobehavioral evaluation system (NES) before and after work were also tested.

RESULTSThe curves of the four main physiological parameters rapidly synchro-rose to a peak at (36 +/- 3) min, whereafter the curves descended smoothly. At (144 +/- 8) min, the curves climbed up to the second peak. The determination of the behavioral psychology revealed that the degree of fatigue of the drivers increased gradually when the working time prolonged, and the grip descended by great extent, excitement reduced markedly after work, but the negative mood, such as confusion and depression were increased, error of visual apperceive-operation was increased, right decreased, intelligence reduced, rapidity and delicacy of movement reduced.

CONCLUSIONThe physiological parameters of armored vehicle drivers working continuously in the hot condition appeared double-peak effect, the 1st peak was at (36 +/- 3) min, and the body was in mobilizing stage. Whereafter, the body was in smooth stage. And at (144 +/- 8) min, when the 2nd peak appeared, the body then was in physiological tolerance limit stage.

Adaptation, Physiological ; Adult ; Affect ; Automobile Driving ; psychology ; Body Temperature ; Fatigue ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Heart Rate ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Male

Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fatigue ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital ; statistics & numerical data ; Sampling Studies