Background: The government of Korea implemented a strategy of prevention and early diagnosis in high-risk groups to reduce the tuberculosis (TB) burden. This study aims to investigate the TB epidemiology and gap in understanding of TB prevalence among homeless individuals by analyzing active TB chest X-ray (CXR) screening results in Korea. Methods: The Korean National Tuberculosis Association conducted active TB screening with CXR for homeless groups from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear and culture were performed for the subjects suggestive of TB on CXR. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data in comparison with the national health screening results from the general population. Results: Among 17,713 homeless persons, 40 (0.23%), 3,077 (17.37%), and 79 (0.45%) were categorized as suggested TB, inactive TB, and observation required, respectively. Prevalence of suggested TB in the homeless was significantly higher (3–5 fold) than in Univerthe national general health screening based on age category (p<0.005). Twenty-nine cases were confirmed as TB, yielding a prevalence of 164 cases per 100,000 individuals; 19 of these 29 cases showed inactive TB on CXR. Body mass index (p=0.0478) and CXR result (p<0.001) significantly correlated with confirmed TB based on multivariable analysis. Conclusion Nutrition status and CXR results, especially that of inactive TB, should be considered in active TB screening of the homeless population, where TB prevalence is higher than the general population.

Background: The government of Korea implemented a strategy of prevention and early diagnosis in high-risk groups to reduce the tuberculosis (TB) burden. This study aims to investigate the TB epidemiology and gap in understanding of TB prevalence among homeless individuals by analyzing active TB chest X-ray (CXR) screening results in Korea. Methods: The Korean National Tuberculosis Association conducted active TB screening with CXR for homeless groups from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear and culture were performed for the subjects suggestive of TB on CXR. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data in comparison with the national health screening results from the general population. Results: Among 17,713 homeless persons, 40 (0.23%), 3,077 (17.37%), and 79 (0.45%) were categorized as suggested TB, inactive TB, and observation required, respectively. Prevalence of suggested TB in the homeless was significantly higher (3–5 fold) than in Univerthe national general health screening based on age category (p<0.005). Twenty-nine cases were confirmed as TB, yielding a prevalence of 164 cases per 100,000 individuals; 19 of these 29 cases showed inactive TB on CXR. Body mass index (p=0.0478) and CXR result (p<0.001) significantly correlated with confirmed TB based on multivariable analysis. Conclusion Nutrition status and CXR results, especially that of inactive TB, should be considered in active TB screening of the homeless population, where TB prevalence is higher than the general population.

Background: The government of Korea implemented a strategy of prevention and early diagnosis in high-risk groups to reduce the tuberculosis (TB) burden. This study aims to investigate the TB epidemiology and gap in understanding of TB prevalence among homeless individuals by analyzing active TB chest X-ray (CXR) screening results in Korea. Methods: The Korean National Tuberculosis Association conducted active TB screening with CXR for homeless groups from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear and culture were performed for the subjects suggestive of TB on CXR. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data in comparison with the national health screening results from the general population. Results: Among 17,713 homeless persons, 40 (0.23%), 3,077 (17.37%), and 79 (0.45%) were categorized as suggested TB, inactive TB, and observation required, respectively. Prevalence of suggested TB in the homeless was significantly higher (3–5 fold) than in Univerthe national general health screening based on age category (p<0.005). Twenty-nine cases were confirmed as TB, yielding a prevalence of 164 cases per 100,000 individuals; 19 of these 29 cases showed inactive TB on CXR. Body mass index (p=0.0478) and CXR result (p<0.001) significantly correlated with confirmed TB based on multivariable analysis. Conclusion Nutrition status and CXR results, especially that of inactive TB, should be considered in active TB screening of the homeless population, where TB prevalence is higher than the general population.

Background: The government of Korea implemented a strategy of prevention and early diagnosis in high-risk groups to reduce the tuberculosis (TB) burden. This study aims to investigate the TB epidemiology and gap in understanding of TB prevalence among homeless individuals by analyzing active TB chest X-ray (CXR) screening results in Korea. Methods: The Korean National Tuberculosis Association conducted active TB screening with CXR for homeless groups from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear and culture were performed for the subjects suggestive of TB on CXR. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data in comparison with the national health screening results from the general population. Results: Among 17,713 homeless persons, 40 (0.23%), 3,077 (17.37%), and 79 (0.45%) were categorized as suggested TB, inactive TB, and observation required, respectively. Prevalence of suggested TB in the homeless was significantly higher (3–5 fold) than in Univerthe national general health screening based on age category (p<0.005). Twenty-nine cases were confirmed as TB, yielding a prevalence of 164 cases per 100,000 individuals; 19 of these 29 cases showed inactive TB on CXR. Body mass index (p=0.0478) and CXR result (p<0.001) significantly correlated with confirmed TB based on multivariable analysis. Conclusion Nutrition status and CXR results, especially that of inactive TB, should be considered in active TB screening of the homeless population, where TB prevalence is higher than the general population.

Objectives: This study was conducted to systematically summarize trends in research concerning patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as reported in Korean medical journals. Methods: We performed a literature search of KoreaMed from January 2020 to September 2022. We included only primary studies of patients with COVID-19. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts, then performed full-text screening, both independently and in duplicate. We first identified the 5 journals with the greatest numbers of eligible publications, then extracted data pertaining to the general characteristics, study population attributes, and research features of papers published in these journals. Results: Our analysis encompassed 142 primary studies. Of these, approximately 41.0% reported a funding source, while 3.5% disclosed a conflict of interest. In 2020, 42.9% of studies included fewer than 10 participants; however, by 2022, the proportion of studies with over 200 participants had increased to 40.6%. The most common design was the cohort study (48.6%), followed by case reports/series (35.2%). Only 3 randomized controlled trials were identified. Studies most frequently focused on prognosis (58.5%), followed by therapy/intervention (20.4%). Regarding the type of intervention/exposure, therapeutic clinical interventions comprised 26.1%, while studies of morbidity accounted for 13.4%. As for the outcomes measured, 50.7% of studies assessed symptoms/clinical status/improvement, and 14.1% evaluated mortality. Conclusions Employing a systematic approach, we examined the characteristics of research involving patients with COVID-19 that was published in Korean medical journals from 2020 onward. Subsequent research should assess not only publication trends over a longer timeframe but also the quality of evidence provided.