This study investigated the epidemiology (prevalence, risk factors, and impact on quality of life) of knee pain and its severity in elderly Koreans. The subjects (n=3,054) were participants aged > or =50 yr from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted in 2010. Knee pain was defined as pain in the knee lasting > or =30 days during the most recent 3 months; severity was categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. EQ-5D was used to measure quality of life. The prevalence of knee pain was 23.1% (11.7% in men, 31.9% in women). The prevalences of mild, moderate, and severe knee pain were 4.3%, 9.1%, and 9.7%, respectively (2.8%, 5.4%, and 3.5% in men and 5.4%, 12.0%, and 14.4% in women). Old age, female gender, a low level of education, a manual occupation, obesity, and radiographic osteoarthritis were risk factors for knee pain, and were associated with increased severity of knee pain. Excluding men with mild knee pain, people with knee pain had significantly lower quality of life than those without knee pain. Early interventional approaches are needed to reduce the medical, social, and economic burden of knee pain in elderly Koreans.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/complications ; Odds Ratio ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/complications/epidemiology/radiography ; Pain/*epidemiology/etiology ; Prevalence ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors

OBJECTIVE: We estimated the number of Korean adults with back pain and evaluated population-based associated factors of back pain from a representative sample data from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. METHODS: The number of Korean adults who experienced back pain (experienced patients), those who experienced back pain lasting for three or more months during the past year (chronic patients), and those who were currently suffering from back pain (current patients) were estimated by analyzing the data from the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2007 using surveyfreq procedure of the SAS statistical package. Population-based odds ratios for being experienced, chronic, and current patient according to demographic (age and gender), socioeconomic (education and occupation), and lifestyle factors (smoking, drinking, and exercise) were estimated using surveylogistic procedure. RESULTS: It was estimated that there were 5,554,256 (proportion, 15.4%; 95% CI, 4,809,466 - 6,299,046) experienced patients, 2,060,829 (5.7%; 1,557,413-2,564,246) chronic patients, and 3,084,188 (8.5%; 2,600,197 - 3,568,179) current patients among 36,107,225 Korean adults aged 20-89 years in 2007. Each of explanatory variables was significantly associated with at least one of the response variables for back pain. CONCLUSION: Based on our study results, further efforts to investigate epidemiology of back pain, to evaluate associated factors, and to improve treatment outcomes are needed.
Adult ; Aged ; Back Pain ; Drinking ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Phenothiazines ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.

Over the half of last century, epidemiology has witnessed that tobacco causes lung cancer. Therefore, lung cancer lawsuits against tobacco companies have been raised in many countries. However, a discrepancy between epidemiology dealing with population-based causal association and lawsuit dealing with individual-based evidence has happened. This article discusses application of epidemiology to the tobacco lawsuit cases in Korea. Epidemiological studies such as double blind randomized controlled clinical trials and cohort studies give clinicians important information on decision-making for the treatment of an individual patient and predicting prognosis. Epidemiological data have also been applied to the diagnosis of a worker's claim on occupational disease or work-related disorder. Illegality is generally recognized in the court when direct causal relationship between offending action(s) and damage(s) is proved and the damaged must prove illegality of the offender(s). The probability theory was emerged to reduce the responsibility especially when a plaintiff has a difficulty in proving causal relationship and illegality due to long-term duration or complexity or poor condition of the plaintiff such as environmental lawsuit cases. In relation to the probability theory, a theory was raised that a causal relationship is proved legally if an epidemiological causal relationship between offending action(s) and damage(s) is proved. Based on these evidences and theories, we show our opinion that epidemiological data are applicable to the individuals such as tobacco lawsuit cases in Korea.
Cohort Studies ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lung Neoplasms ; Occupational Diseases ; Probability Theory ; Prognosis ; Tobacco*

We examined time trend and age-period-cohort effects on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality in Korean adults from 1988 to 2007. Annual AMI mortality data and population statistics from 1988 to 2007 were obtained from the STATISTICS KOREA website. Age adjusted mortality for four 5-yr calendar periods (1988-1992 to 2003-2007) was calculated by direct standardization using the Year 2000 WHO world standard population. A log-linear Poisson regression model was used to estimate age, period, and cohort effects on AMI mortality. In both genders, age-adjusted AMI mortality increased from period one (1988-1992) to period three (1998-2002) but decreased in period four (2003-2007). An exponential age effect was noted in both genders. The rate ratio of the cohort effect increased up to the 1943 birth cohort and decreased gradually thereafter, and the rate ratio of the period effect increased up to period three (1998-2002) and decreased thereafter. Our results suggest that AMI mortality in Korean adults has decreased since the period 1998-2002 and age, period, and cohort effects have influenced on AMI mortality.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Cohort Effect ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction/*mortality ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Time Factors

BACKGROUND: Nationwide evaluation of physicians' smoking rate may be helpful to predict future trend of smoking in a general population. Thus, we investigated physicians' smoking rate and their habits in Korea. METHODS: Ten percent of physicians among the registered members of the Korean Medical Association were chosen by stratified random sampling and a mail questionnaire survey was conducted in 2000. Of the 2,977 physicians to whom the questionnaires were delivered, 1,248 (41.9%) responded. RESULTS: Overall smoking rate among Korean doctors was 29.9%. Smoking rate of males was 34.9% and that of females was 2.3%. In the current smokers, the most frequently reported age when they had begun smoking were 15~20 years (60.3%), the majority of daily smoking amount was less than or equal to 1 pack (92.5%), and those who were planning to quit smoking within 1 month were 11.9%. In the ex-smokers, the most frequently reported age when they had begun smoking were in their 20s (67.7%) and the most frequently reported age when they had stopped smoking were in their 30s (38.0%). CONCLUSION: The smoking rate of Korean physicians was estimated to be less than that of the general Korean population, but higher than that of physicians in major developed countries. More efforts to lower smoking rate of physicians and regular follow up is needed.
Developed Countries ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Postal Service* ; Prevalence* ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Vulvodynia is a chronic pain syndrome in female genitalia in the absence of visible infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic findings or a clinically identifiable neurological disorder. We report a case of vulvodynia successfully treated with dry needling using a specially designed round needle (Ahn's needle). A 50-year-old woman was seen with 20-year-history of left-sided vulvar pain in the absence of infectious, inflammatory, neoplastic, or neurological disorder. We diagnosed her condition as vulvodynia and conducted dry needling using an Ahn's needle. Dry needling was performed along left upper and middle labiocrural fold. She reported 50% improvement of vulvodynia after the first treatment and 100% improvement after the second treatment. She remained symptom free 9 months after treatment. Our report suggests that dry needling using an Ahn's needle have clinical significance in managing vulvodynia.
Chronic Pain ; Female ; Genitalia ; Genitalia, Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Nervous System Diseases ; Vulvodynia

A 49-year-old woman with spasmodic torticollis was treated with interventional muscle and nerve stimulation (IMNS). Her neck was tilted to the left, and her chin was rotated and tilted to the right. Based on patient history, physical examination, and X-ray findings, the right C2-3, C3-4, C4-5 and C5-6 facet joints were selected for IMNS treatment. Under ultrasound guidance, an Ahn's Needle (a specially designed needle for IMNS) was inserted from the midline of the posterior neck and advanced toward a point over the capsule of the facet joints. The needle was moved gently forward and backward within a 1-2 mm range until no resistance was felt at the tip. After undergoing three rounds of IMNS treatment, the dystonic features were grossly normal but spontaneous activities of the muscles innervated by C6 remained. Although we did not demonstrate complete improvement of spasmodic torticollis, our report suggests that IMNS has therapeutic value for spasmodic torticollis.
Chin ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Muscles ; Neck ; Needles ; Physical Examination ; Torticollis ; Zygapophyseal Joint

BACKGROUND: This study estimated the number of Korean adults with osteoarthritis from a representative sample. METHODS: We analyzed the data from phase 2 of the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2008 using surveyfreq procedure of the SAS statistical package and estimated the number of Korean adults who reported that they experienced osteoarthritis lasting for three or more months during the past year (chronic patients) or were suffering from osteoarthritis at the time of survey (current patients). RESULTS: It was estimated that there were 3,597,774 (proportion, 9.8%; 95% confidence interval, 3,238,651-3,956,897) chronic patients and 3,916,417 (10.7%; 3,548,768-4,284,066) current patients among 36,744,994 Korean adults aged 20-89 years in 2008. CONCLUSIONS: Further efforts to investigate exact number of Korean adults with osteoarthritis and improve treatment outcomes of osteoarthritis are needed.
Adult ; Aged ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Osteoarthritis ; Phenothiazines ; Prevalence ; Stress, Psychological

This study reports the stages of change in smoking cessation in a representative sample of Korean adult smokers. The study subjects, all adult smokers (n=2,422), were recruited from the second Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2001. The stages of change were categorized using demo-graphic (age and sex), socioeconomic (education, residence, and household income), and smoking characteristics (age at smoking onset, duration of smoking, and number of cigarettes smoked per day). Age-stratified analyses of the association of socioeconomic and smoking characteristics with the stages of change in male and female smokers were also conducted. According to the stages of change, the study population consisted of 37.6% (95% CI, 35.7-39.5) pre-contemplation, 56.0% (54.0-58.0) contemplation, and 6.4% (5.4-7.4) preparation. The associations between the characteristics of the smokers and the stages of change were all statistically significant. The age-stratified analyses showed that all the socioeconomic and smoking characteristics were significantly associated with the stages in males, while education and residence had significant associations in females. This study revealed that a relatively small number of Korean smokers were prepared to quit and the stage distribution might be influenced by demographic, socioeconomic, and smoking char-acteristics.
Socioeconomic Factors ; Smoking Cessation/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Educational Status ; Aged ; Age Factors ; Adult