Proctitis is an inflammatory change of rectal mucosa induced by various agents or stimulus. Among many etiologies, it may be caused by medical treatments such as radiation or antibiotics. Proctitis usually presents with rectal ulcer but abscess formation is uncommon. Therapy using Ssukjwahun exerts its effect by directly applying the smoke around genital area and anus with various medicinal brewed herbs, especially worm-wood. Secondary metabolite of this plant, monoterpene, is known to facilitate circulation, exert anti-inflammatory effect, and help control pain. Herein, we report an unusual case of infectious proctitis presenting with rectal ulcer and abscess formation after perianal application of warm steam made by Artemisia asiatica smoke for treatment of dysmenorrhea.
Abdomen/diagnostic imaging ; Abscess/*diagnosis ; Adult ; Artemisia/*chemistry/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Proctitis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Rectum/diagnostic imaging ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Smoke/*adverse effects ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

Pulmonary extraintestinal manifestation is rare in Crohn's disease and has been reported in only a few cases. Despite the presence of pulmonary abnormalities in a significant proportion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, there are only few case reports, due to complicated diagnosis and low recognition by clinicians. Currently, treatment guidelines for pulmonary Crohn's disease have not been established. There are some case reports of pulmonary Crohn's disease that achieved remission after infliximab treatment. Clinical and radiological remission of pulmonary extraintestinal involvement in Crohn's disease after adalimumab therapy has not been reported yet. Here, we report one case of lung involvement of Crohn's disease, which shows radiological and clinical remission after adalimumab treatment.
Adalimumab* ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Infliximab ; Lung ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules

Background: The fatality rate of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varies among countries owing to demographics, patient comorbidities, surge capacity of healthcare systems, and the quality of medical care. We assessed the clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 during the first wave of the epidemic in Korea. Methods: Using a modified World Health Organization clinical record form, we obtained clinical data for 3,060 patients with COVID-19 treated at 55 hospitals in Korea. Disease severity scores were defined as: 1) no limitation of daily activities; 2) limitation of daily activities but no need for supplemental oxygen; 3) supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula; 4) supplemental oxygen via facial mask; 5) non-invasive mechanical ventilation; 6) invasive mechanical ventilation; 7) multi-organ failure or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy; and 8) death. Recovery was defined as a severity score of 1 or 2, or discharge and release from isolation. Results: The median age of the patients was 43 years of age; 43.6% were male. The median time from illness onset to admission was 5 days. Of the patients with a disease severity score of 3–4 on admission, 65 (71.5%) of the 91 patients recovered, and 7 (7.7%) died due to illness by day 28. Of the patients with disease severity scores of 5–7, 7 (19.5%) of the 36 patients recovered, and 8 (22.2%) died due to illness by day 28. None of the 1,324 patients who were < 50 years of age died; in contrast, the fatality rate due to illness by day 28 was 0.5% (2/375), 0.9% (2/215), 5.8% (6/104), and 14.0% (7/50) for the patients aged 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, and ≥ 80 years of age, respectively. Conclusion In Korea, almost all patients of < 50 years of age with COVID-19 recovered without supplemental oxygen. In patients of ≥ 50 years of age, the fatality rate increased with age, reaching 14% in patients of ≥ 80 years of age.