BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection is known to be strongly associated with varied dermatoses such as rosacea, vasculitic purpura, and Sweet's syndrome. Also, many antibiotics including amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and tetracycline have been used to ameliorate chronic urticaria. This recent knowledge posed the plausibility that H. pylori infection might be an underlying causative factor of chronic urticaria. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the role of H. pylori infection in patients with chronic urticaria. METHODS: Sixty-five subjects with chronic urticaria were examined for H. pylori infection with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IgG/M against H. pylori and rapid urease test(CLO test) for endoscopically biopsied gastric mucosa. Amoxicillin or clarithromycin combined with omeprazole as a therapy was administrated to the 44 patients with positive test results for 4 weeks. RESULTS: H. pylori infection was more frequently diagnosed in 44 of 65(67.7%) patients with chronic urticaria than in the control subjects(8.8%). After the completion of treatment for 4 weeks, specific IgG antibodies and a CLO test against H. pylori were negative in 28 of 38(73.7%) and 43 of 44(97.7%) patients respectively. At the post-treatment evaluation, 37 of 44(84.1%) patients with H. pylori-positive urticaria showed significant clinical remission of urticaria. CONCLUSION: Eradication of H. pylori in patients with chronic urticaria was accompanied by clinical remission of urtication. There is substantial evidence that unexplained causes of chronic urticaria may be associated with H. pylori infection.
Amoxicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antibodies ; Clarithromycin ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gastric Mucosa ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea* ; Omeprazole ; Prevalence* ; Prospective Studies* ; Purpura ; Rosacea ; Skin Diseases ; Sweet Syndrome ; Tetracycline ; Urease ; Urticaria*

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) such as ulcerative colitis or Croln's disease is often related with varied diseases including pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema nodosum, ankylosing arthritis and psoriasis. To date, however, a cIinical observation of IBD accompanied by psoriasis has been sparcely accomplished although an immunogenetic mechanism explaining a coexistence of IBD and psoriasis has been proposed. OBJECTIVE: We estimated the prevalence of IBD in patients with psoriasis in Korea and investigated the clinical characteristics of IBD accompanied by psoriasis. METHODS: 92 psoriatic patients and 389 non-psoriatic control subjects were enrolled in this study. Colonoscopic biopsy and barium series were performed in 47 psoriatic patients and 110 control subjects showing irritative intestinal symptoms. RESULTS: 1. The prevalence of IBD in psoriatic patients(14.1%) was significantly greater than in the control group(1.0%). 2. In the temporal relationship, psoriasis developed several years prior to the onset of IBD in 84.6% of psoriatic patients. 3. The frequency of arthropathies in the psoriatic patients possessing IBD(84.6%) was significantly higher than that of non-psariatic counterparts with IBD(25.0%) or that of psoriatics without lBD(2.5%), 4. The psoriatir. patients with IBD demonstrated much more frequently diffuse colonal extension than in non-psoriatic subjects with IBD. CONCLUSION: Our findings of an increased prevalence of IBD in the psoriatic population present further evidence of an association between IBD and psoriasis. In the psoriatic patients showing acute or chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, colonoseopic evaluation might be mandatory for the evaluation of IBD.
Arthritis ; Barium ; Biopsy ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Erythema Nodosum ; Humans ; Immunogenetics ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis* ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in South Korea. The prevalence of preventable and treatable risk factors for CVD such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking has continued to increase, despite improvements management of hypertension. Active leadership, participation, and support of professional organizations and medical institutions in national cardiovascular registries and regional treatment network have proven to be effective models to reduce the global burden of CVD in the Europe and North America. Regional treatment network systems for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction have established to coordinate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment centers, non-PCI treatment centers, and emergency centers especially across the Europe. The Act on the Prevention and Management of Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease was enacted in South Korea in 2017 to establish the legal frameworks and a comprehensive plan for the prevention and management CVD and risk factors. To fully achieve the goal of a NationalHealth Plan for Cardiovascular Disease, it is necessary to embark on a nationwide registry project and to promote the regional acute treatment accessibility which can therefore play a key role in achieving the objectives of the 2017 Act. In this regard, the Korean Society of Cardiology advocates a national project for health promotion and cardiovascular prevention to improve cardiovascular outcomes, which includes the expansion and establishment of regional cardiocerebrovascular centers (CCVCs) and new local CCVCs.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in South Korea. The prevalence of preventable and treatable risk factors for CVD such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking has continued to increase, despite improvements management of hypertension. Active leadership, participation, and support of professional organizations and medical institutions in national cardiovascular registries and regional treatment network have proven to be effective models to reduce the global burden of CVD in the Europe and North America. Regional treatment network systems for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction have established to coordinate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment centers, non-PCI treatment centers, and emergency centers especially across the Europe. The Act on the Prevention and Management of Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease was enacted in South Korea in 2017 to establish the legal frameworks and a comprehensive plan for the prevention and management CVD and risk factors. To fully achieve the goal of a NationalHealth Plan for Cardiovascular Disease, it is necessary to embark on a nationwide registry project and to promote the regional acute treatment accessibility which can therefore play a key role in achieving the objectives of the 2017 Act. In this regard, the Korean Society of Cardiology advocates a national project for health promotion and cardiovascular prevention to improve cardiovascular outcomes, which includes the expansion and establishment of regional cardiocerebrovascular centers (CCVCs) and new local CCVCs.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous vasculitis associated with viral hepatitis seems to occur as a hypersensitivity reaction against the circulating viral antigens. Hepatitis B virus(HBV)-encoded X antigen(HBxAg) is known to participate in the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) by the inactivation of p53. However, HBxAg has been found in chronic infiammatory lesions without the overexpression of p53. Accordingly, not only EBsAg and HBcAg but also HBxAg may be involved in HCC-associated cutaneous vasculitis, regardless of the alteration of p53. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the expression of HBV-encoded antigens in cutaneous vasculitis accompanied by HBV hepatopathy. Additionally, we have compared the expression of 3 HBV antigens and p53 between vasculitic patients with HCC and in others showing HCC-non-associated vasculitis. METHODS: Immunohistochemically, we examined the expression of HBsAg, HBcAg, and HBxAg in the tissue specimens taken from the vasculitic lesions of the 33 HBsAg-positive enrolled patients with cutaneous vasculitis proven by skin biopsy. RESULTS: 1. The immunohistochemical positivity rate to HBsAg in vasculitic patients with HBV hepatopathy was 66.7% overall. It was 90% in HCC-associated vasculitic subjects and 56.5% in the vasculitic subjects without HCC, respectively. 2. We found the expression of HBxAg in 80% of the vasculitic subjects showing HCC. The vasculitic patients without HCC showed 17,3% of the positivity rate to HBxAg. 3. We could not find the overexpression of p53 in the vasculitic tissue specimens of the HCC patients without the cutaneous metastasis from primary HCC. CONCLUSION: HBsAg, HBcAg and HBxAg may participate in the pathogenesis of cutaneous vasculitis with HBV hepatopathy, regardless of tumorigenesis.
Antigens, Viral ; Biopsy ; Carcinogenesis ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Skin ; Vasculitis*

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the supply and demand for cardiologists in Korea and provide evidence for healthcare policy to ensure a stable and adequate workforce for optimal cardiovascular disease management. Methods: Past trends of inflow and outflow of cardiologists were used to make crude projections, which were then adjusted based on demands of services to obtain final projections. Inflow of cardiologists was estimated using second-order polynomial regression and demand for cardiology care was estimated using linear regression. Results: There were 1,139 active cardiologists who were under the age of 65 in clinical practice in Korea. The estimated number of cardiologists from 2022 to 2040 showed that the number of cardiologists would peak at 1,344 in 2032 and gradually decrease thereafter. We also estimated an increase of 947,811 cases of heart-related procedures annually from 2023 to 2032. The number of heart-related procedures per cardiologist would increase 1.4 times from 12,964 in 2023 to 17,862 in 2032. The estimated number of emergency patients per cardiologist under 50 years old would almost double from 544 in 2022 to 987 in 2032. Conclusions We expect significant shortage of cardiologists in Korea within the next 10 years. The number of emergency patients per cardiologist will increase by nearly 50%, leading to high individual workload for cardiologists. To prevent this imbalance between supply and demand, an organized and collective approach by the specialty of cardiology is imperative to produce a balanced workforce.

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the supply and demand for cardiologists in Korea and provide evidence for healthcare policy to ensure a stable and adequate workforce for optimal cardiovascular disease management. Methods: Past trends of inflow and outflow of cardiologists were used to make crude projections, which were then adjusted based on demands of services to obtain final projections. Inflow of cardiologists was estimated using second-order polynomial regression and demand for cardiology care was estimated using linear regression. Results: There were 1,139 active cardiologists who were under the age of 65 in clinical practice in Korea. The estimated number of cardiologists from 2022 to 2040 showed that the number of cardiologists would peak at 1,344 in 2032 and gradually decrease thereafter. We also estimated an increase of 947,811 cases of heart-related procedures annually from 2023 to 2032. The number of heart-related procedures per cardiologist would increase 1.4 times from 12,964 in 2023 to 17,862 in 2032. The estimated number of emergency patients per cardiologist under 50 years old would almost double from 544 in 2022 to 987 in 2032. Conclusions We expect significant shortage of cardiologists in Korea within the next 10 years. The number of emergency patients per cardiologist will increase by nearly 50%, leading to high individual workload for cardiologists. To prevent this imbalance between supply and demand, an organized and collective approach by the specialty of cardiology is imperative to produce a balanced workforce.

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the supply and demand for cardiologists in Korea and provide evidence for healthcare policy to ensure a stable and adequate workforce for optimal cardiovascular disease management. Methods: Past trends of inflow and outflow of cardiologists were used to make crude projections, which were then adjusted based on demands of services to obtain final projections. Inflow of cardiologists was estimated using second-order polynomial regression and demand for cardiology care was estimated using linear regression. Results: There were 1,139 active cardiologists who were under the age of 65 in clinical practice in Korea. The estimated number of cardiologists from 2022 to 2040 showed that the number of cardiologists would peak at 1,344 in 2032 and gradually decrease thereafter. We also estimated an increase of 947,811 cases of heart-related procedures annually from 2023 to 2032. The number of heart-related procedures per cardiologist would increase 1.4 times from 12,964 in 2023 to 17,862 in 2032. The estimated number of emergency patients per cardiologist under 50 years old would almost double from 544 in 2022 to 987 in 2032. Conclusions We expect significant shortage of cardiologists in Korea within the next 10 years. The number of emergency patients per cardiologist will increase by nearly 50%, leading to high individual workload for cardiologists. To prevent this imbalance between supply and demand, an organized and collective approach by the specialty of cardiology is imperative to produce a balanced workforce.