This study was conducted for the purpose of obtaining basic information on the patterns of medical care expenditures, and identifying some determinants of medical care expenditures in the rural Korea. Nine guns were chosen from the eight porvinces, excluding Cheju island. One gun in each province and two villages were selected from the each myon or ub within the selected guns. The total number of households was 1,789 and the sample size was 9,826 non-institutionalized people. Followings are the major findings of the study. 1) Medical care expenditures increase proportionally with age in terms of cost per patient, per episode of illness, per treated case, and per person. Averagely, it cost 2,756 won per patient, 2,614 won per spell of illness, 4,361 won per treated case, and 413 won per person. 2) Medical care expenditures increase proportionally with educational level of patients. College graduates spent the most, 4,726 won per patient, 5,987 won per treated case, and 670 won per person. 3) The male spent a little more than the female in terms of per patient, per episode, and per person. For example, a male spent 23 won more than a female. 4) Those who were suffering from illnesses longer than 1 year spent three times mort than that had illnesses of less than 1 year duration. 5) The simple correlation coefficient between activity restriction and medical care expenditures was the highest among others, 0.491. The next was 0.294 between duration of illness and medical care expenditures. 6) Attempts are made to identify the explanatory variables in medical care expenditures. Thirty one per cent of the variances in the expenditures can be accounted for by the selected 15 predictors. Those predictors belonged to clinical conditions, such as activity restriction, duration of illness, and nature of conditions, are proved to be the most potent independent variables. Level of education and monthly family income are also significant in terms of beta coefficient. Further studies are called for to unreveal the determinants of medical expenditures.
Education ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Firearms ; Health Expenditures* ; Humans ; Jeju-do ; Korea ; Male ; Sample Size

No Abstracts Available.
Asthma* ; Early Intervention (Education)*

Antral web (prepyloric mucosal diaphragm) is a rare gastric anomaly that disturbs the gastric outlet and has sometimes been a diagnostic problem to the radiologist and the endoscopist. It is composed of mucosa that enclose a membrane of submucosa and located at the antrum on variable distances from the pylorus. Web is congenital in origin but may be secondary to chronic peptic ulcer disease. Obstructive symptoms may not occur when diaphragmatic aperture is larger than 1 centimeter in diameter. The diagnosis of web relies on the history, barium study and gastroscopic findings but it may be noticed after laparotomy. We experienced an antral web which demonstrated characteristic endoscopic and radiologic findings in an eight-year-old girl. These typical distinguishable findings in endoscopic and barium study in this case can remind of the antral web in patients with gastric outlet obstruction symptoms. Antral web or pyloric web, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal obstructive symptoms in patients of any age.
Barium* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endoscopy ; Female* ; Gastric Outlet Obstruction ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Membranes ; Mucous Membrane ; Peptic Ulcer ; Pylorus

To clarify the characteristics of HBV-associated renal lesions, renal biopsies obtained from 22 HBsAg seropositive patients(M:F=32:1) were studied. Other than two(age 4 and 12), all were adults(17-77 y.o.). Twelve of the patients had nephrotic syndrome(NS), 5 NS and hematuria(H), 10 proteinuria and H, one gross H, one microscopic H, and 4 normal urinalysis at the time of biopsy. Light microscopy showed minimal change lesion(MCL) in 9 cases, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis(MSPGN) in 6, MPGN type I in 7, MPGN type III in 6, and mebranous nephropathy(MGN) in 5 cases. There were variable immunofluorescent(IF) findings of 25 cases studied; IF staining were predominant with IgG in 10 cases, with IgA in 5 and with IgM in 2 cases. Complements tended to be more strong for C1 &/or C4 than C3. In electron microscopic(EM) studies of MCL group, rare mesangial deposits were noted(3/5). In MSPGN, aside from mesangial deposits, there were occasional subendothelia(2/4) or subepithelial(1/4) deposits. In MPGN type I, in addition to the usual EM features of MPGN, some subepithelial deposits were also observed in 5 cases. In MGN, 3 out of 4 showed subendothelial deposits. Among 7 cases stained for HBsAg all were negative with IF and 2 were positive with PAP method. It is concluded that clinico-pathological findings of HBV-associated nephropathy are variable and partly show lupus-like features, different from primary glomerulopathy.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Biopsy

The goal of therapy of epileptic children is to control of seizures with minimal side effects of antiepileptic drug (AED). The relationship between side effects, serum levels and doses of AED were examined prospectively in 72 epileptic children who received monotherapy with phenobarbital, phenytoin, valproate, or carbamazepine for 6 to 26 months. Our results were as follows: 1) Side effects were observed in 59.7% of all patients; in decreasing order, behavioral (41.6%)>digestive (25.0%)>others (22.2%)>neurologic (11.1%). 2) The most common side effects in children treated with phenobarbital (PB) was behavioral (54.2%); these included hyperactivity, drowsiness, sleeping in decreasing order and there was significant relationship between drowsiness and serum level of PB(P<0.05). 3) Common side effects in patients receing carbamazepine (CBZ) were behavioral (52.0%) and digestive (52.2%); behavioral disorders included drowsiness and sleeping which showed significance with dosage of CBZ (P<0.01), digestive disorders were abdominal pain which showed significance, with dosage of CBZ (P<0.05) and weight gain. Other side effects were dizziness, headache, diplopia, tremor pallor, durg eruption, alopecia, aggravated acne etc. 4) The most common side effect in children treated with valproate (VPA) was pallor which showed significance with dosage of VPA (P<0.05). Abdominal pain had<0.05 significance with serum level of VPA, and Other side effects were anemia and weight gain. 5) In 83.3% of all patients, they had no side effects or could tolerate mild side effects. But in 12.5% of patients, the side effects disappeared when dosages were reduced, and AED had to be withdrawn in only 4.2% of patients.
Abdominal Pain ; Acne Vulgaris ; Alopecia ; Anemia ; Anticonvulsants* ; Carbamazepine ; Child* ; Diplopia ; Dizziness ; Headache ; Humans ; Pallor ; Phenobarbital ; Phenytoin ; Prospective Studies ; Seizures ; Sleep Stages ; Tremor ; Valproic Acid ; Weight Gain

A survey was carried out from August to December 2004 in Pusan, Korea to document the presence of free-living amoeba (FLA), including the genus Acanthamoeba, in both contact lens storage cases and domestic tap water. Acanthamoeba was isolated from 5 (4.2%) in 120 contact lens storage cases. Four house tap water samples from residents, whose contact lens storage cases had been contaminated by Acanthamoeba, were also found to be contaminated with Acanthamoeba. Therefore, the contamination rate of FLA and Acanthamoeba in domestic tap water was investigated in order to examine the role of domestic tap water in Acanthamoeba contamination of contact lens storage cases. FLA and Acanthamoeba were identified in 97 (46.8%) and 16 (7.7%) of the 207 domestic tap water samples, respectively. There were no significant differences between the contamination rates of FLA in tap water according to the filtration plant of origin. No FLA was detected in the tap water directly supplied by the water purification plants. Water storage tanks appear to promote FLA colonization, including Acanthamoeba, in domestic tap water. This increases the risk of Acanthamoeba contamination in contact lens storage cases as well as increasing the risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis.
Acanthamoeba/*isolation & purification ; Amebiasis/epidemiology ; Animals ; Comparative Study ; Contact Lenses/parasitology ; Data Collection ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Risk Factors ; Water/*parasitology ; Water Supply/*standards

No abstract available.
Erythropoietin*

No abstract available.
C-Reactive Protein* ; Female ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Pregnancy

80 patients, 40 patients without preexisting EKG abnormality (group 1) and 40 patients with preexisting abnormalities of EKG (group 2), receiving general anesthesia in the operating room were monitored continously with electrocardioscope, Servomed SMK 155-1 and were recorded. 1) 7 cases(17.5%) of group 1 developed a variety of arrhythmia, and 13 cases (32.5%) of group (32.5%) of group 2 developed a variety of arrhythmia. 2) The most common arrhythmia was premature ventricular contraction including bigeminies (13 cases, 60% of the total arrhythemia) and the most serious arrhythmia was seen 1 case of rapid ventricular tachycardia without artrial activity. 3) Continous cardiac monitoring is valuable, easy and practical in virtually all instance during anesthesia and surgery.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Operating Rooms ; Perioperative Period* ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans