BACKGROUND: Respiratory atopy (RA) is frequently associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) and the age of onset is usually later than that of the dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the onset, and the duration of RA associated with AD in Korea. We also tried to correlate the existence of RA with the severity and prognosis of AD. METHODS: One hundred and eighty one patients with AD were studied. Information about the age at onset and the duration of RA were obtained from the medical history of patients or from the medical records. The severity of AD was graded. RESULTS: RA was found in 66 cases of AD (36.5%). The average age at onset of asthma was 6 years and the average duration of asthma was 6 years. The average age at onset of allergic rhinitis (AR) was 12.4 years and the average duration of AR was 6.8 years. The prevalence of asthma with AD was the most common in the age group between 8 and 11 years while the prevalence of AR was the most common in the age group between 20 and 23 years. The higher occurrence of RA in the older age group was considered to represent persistence of AD in-to adult life. We could not find any difference in the severity of AD between pure AD patients and AD patients with RA. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of RA in AD in Korea was considered to be similar to that of other reports. The average onset of asthma in Korea was a little later, whereas the average on-set of AR was a little earlier than that in the other reports. The duration of RA, which has hardly been mentioned in the literature, was considered to be about 6 years in Korea. It is likely that RA is a poor prognostic factor for AD, but does not affect severity of dermatitis.
Adult ; Age of Onset ; Asthma ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Rhinitis, Allergic

We report a case of malignant histiocytosis which began with intermittent fever and scaly skin lesions. A 3-year-old girl presented with erythematous scaly papules on the face and the trunk, and high fever for 3 months. The cutaneous lesions consisted of widespread coin-sized erythematous scaly papules with marginal brownish pigmentation. She was anemic and thrombocytopenic and had impairment of the liver function. Histopathologic study of the skin lesions showed non-specfic findings except for hyperkeratosis. However, bone marrow examination revealed an increased number of histiocytes, mostly immature with active phagocytosis of erythroid cells, myeloid cells, and platelets. She was diagnosed as having malignant histiocytosis and treated with cyclophosphamide and vincristine. She died the next day after the treatment had begun.
Bone Marrow Examination ; Child, Preschool ; Cyclophosphamide ; Erythroid Cells ; Female ; Fever* ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytic Sarcoma* ; Humans ; Liver ; Myeloid Cells ; Phagocytosis ; Pigmentation ; Skin* ; Vincristine

No abstract available.
Erythema* ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Juvenile*

In 2007, the Public Sanitation Administration Law in Korea was partially amended to subdivide cosmetology into general and skin cosmetology. Thus starting from 2008, a skin cosmetology qualification requirement license was newly created in Korea. Instead of improving the health standards concerning public health, the amendments have exaggerated the monopolistic right of trade of the Korean Central Esthetician's Association with the assistance of the Division of Sanitary Policy in the Korean Ministry for Health. In addition, the amended ordinances stipulate that cosmetologists can analyze skin conditions, hence allowing medical diagnostic procedures by non-medical personnel which has serious health problems causing serious conflict with Korean Medical Law. Legislation precedents from around the world demonstrate that medical supervision by physicians is absolutely necessary with fastidious requisitions in order to safeguard public health. However, in Korea there is a subversive attempt by some esthetician groups to limit the employment of estheticians by medical institutions in order to safeguard their private privileges. The newly amended Public Sanitation Administration Law should be revised in order to preserve the fundamental rights of the people, to enhance public health, and to uphold the well being of the people instead of catering to special interest groups.
Employment ; Human Rights ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Licensure ; Organization and Administration ; Public Health ; Public Opinion ; Sanitation ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a genetic disorder of the melanin pigment system in which melanin synthesis is reduced or absent in the skin, hair, and eyes. OCA is classified into two major types, and tyrosinase-related OCA can be produced by mutations of the structural gene for tyrosinase enzyme (TYR gene). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the segregation of mutant alleles of the TYR gene in tyrosinase-negative and tyrosinase-positive Korean OCA patients and families. METHODS: We amplified exon I, II, and III of the TYR gene of Korean OCA patients and their families by polymerase chain reactions (PCR), and analyzed the mutations by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis in exon I and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses in exon II and exon III. RESULTS: Two tyrosinase-negative cases showed mutations in exon I. Four tyrosinase-nega-tive cases and one tyrosinase-positive case showed mutations in exon II, and one tyrosinase-neg- ative case showed mutations in exon III. In summary, we found three kinds of mutation in four tyrosinase-negative OCA patients and one tyrsinase-positive OCA patient. CONCLUSIONS: RFLP and SSCP analysis can provide a basis for a rapid and sensitive screening system to detect TYR gene mutations of Korean OCA patients and their families.
Albinism, Oculocutaneous* ; Alleles ; Exons ; Hair ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mass Screening ; Melanins ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Skin

BACKGROUND: There is concem about the rising incidence of skin cancer. However, few articles have reported the change in the clinical and epidemiological aspects of skin cancer. OBJECTIVE: We performed this study in order to clarifiy the recent changes in cutaneous premalignant and malignant lesions. METHODS: A statistical analysis was made using 101 cases of cutaneous premalignant lesions and 205 cases of ma]ignant tumors out of a total number of 20,175 new outpatients that visited the Department of Dermatology at the Seoul National University Hospital during a 6 year period(1990-1995). RESULTS: The frequency of premalignant lesions was 0.50% and that of malignant tumors was 1.02%. The frequency showed an increasing tendency compared to previous reports. In the premalignant lesion cases, actinic keratosis was most common and represented a figure of 82.2%. Among the malignant tumors, basal cell carcinoma was most frequent at 24.4%. Age, sex and anatomical site distribution of basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma was no different. The mean age of squamous cell carcinoma was greater than in previous reports and main preceding lesions were actinic keratosis and cheilitis. The frequency of lymphoma was markedly increased but the reason for this remains to be determined. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed the continous increasing incidence of skin cancers and emphasize the need for public eduacation, early diagnosis and proper treatment.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cheilitis ; Dermatology ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Lymphoma ; Melanoma ; Outpatients ; Seoul ; Skin Neoplasms ; Statistics as Topic*

In 2012, the Korean government and various civic groups are insisting to increase in the number of Korean medical graduates by 20% to 100% because of the shortage of public healthcare doctors. However, we have to think of the real point of what makes the pulic heathcare system. In fact, Korea is the country with the least public spending on health care within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Moreover, the problem with Korean public healthcare are many and profound; regional disparity of medical personnel including doctors and nurses, out-rageously low spending on the public healthcare sector, wrong allocation of public health doctors in lieu of compulsory military service, and no coordination between the public and private health care sector, which thus indicate a very complicated problem with numerous variables. The proper way to solve this problem would be to understand these variables and act accordingly.
Delivery of Health Care ; Health Care Sector ; Humans ; Korea ; Military Personnel ; Public Health

PURPOSE: Because of the complexity and un-expectation of the courses and clinical features for the complex anal fistula, the management of it presents a difficult surgical challenge. Various techniques have been used, such as seton placement, advancement flap closure, muscle filling procedure, and fibrin glue injection. The classic lay-open and seton placement may distort the anal anatomy and result in poor functional outcomes, such as incontinence. Also, advancement flap techniques are associated with relatively high recurrence rates. This study assesses the results of surgery for a complex anal fistula, as performed in Hangun Hospital, Busan. Operative procedures were comprised of two or more separate procedures, including 1) a total fistulectomy, 2) muscle reconstruction, sometimes muscle transposition, 3) direct closure of the primary opening without making a mucosal advancement flap, and 4) a drainage procedure and/or other minor procedure. METHODS: Surgical procedures were performed on 22 patients (18 males) with a complex anal fistula between July 2004 and December 2004. The clinical and the manometric results were analyzed with respect to postoperative recurrence, delayed wound healing, and postoperative fecal incontinence. RESULTS: Nineteen of the 22 patients were completely healed without any sequelae. Treatment failure was encountered in one patient two months postoperatively, when an additional fistulotomy was performed to achieve a cure. There were two patients displaying delayed healing, who were successfully treated by curettage. No patient complained of postoperative fecal incontinence in either the clinical examination on the manometric study (mean resting pressure, 75.5+/-3.5 mmHg; maximal squeeze pressure, 175.7+/-10.3 mmHg). CONCLUSIONS: This short- term study suggests that a direct closure of the internal opening after a total fistulectomy can be an alternative surgical option for the treatment of a complex anal fistula.
Curettage ; Drainage ; Fecal Incontinence ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive ; Humans ; Muscles ; Rectal Fistula ; Recurrence ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Treatment Failure ; Wound Healing

No abstract available.
Burkholderia cepacia* ; Skin*

BACKGROUND: A reliable, well-validated home blood pressure(BP) self measurement device could have an important role in the management of hypertension. Rigorous assessment of such a device have not performed well, particularly in the hypertensive range. METHODS: We assessed the National EW274W device(oscillometric) for home messurem of BP according to the standards set out by the British Hypertension Society protocol and American Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation(AAMI). The device was compared with sequential measurements using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer in the same arm in 105 patients aged 16-79 years. The BP of subjects was measured three times at least a week apart. These data were analysed using Pearson's correlation and paired t-test. RESULTS: The device was highly correlated to mercury sphygmomanometer in mean systolic BP(SBP) and mean diastolic BP(DBP) (r=0.93, r=0.93, P<0.05). The device was satisfactory over the whole BP range(SBP 106-182mmHg, DBP 56-116mmHg), with a B grade for SBP and a A grade for DBP(British Hypertension Society protocol) and a PASS for both SBP and DBP(AAMI). Sensitivity and specificity are 84.2%, 93.0%(mean SBP) and 100%, 96.9% (mean DBP). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded the wrist blood pressure meter(National EW274W) for home BP measurement is highly satisfactory and is suitable for clinical use.
Arm ; Blood Pressure* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sphygmomanometers ; Wrist*