OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in a large group of schizophrenic patients. METHODS: Sociodemographic and treatment data were collected from medical records of 1,103 inpatients and outpatients treated for schizophrenia at Seoul National Hospital in Seoul, Korea. Anthropometric measurement and blood testing were conducted for collection of physical and biochemical data and diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Data for metabolic syndrome prevalence were compared by sex, age, metabolic syndrome markers present, treatment of markers, and types of antipsychotics and individual drug agents used. RESULTS: Mean prevalence of metabolic syndrome in all subjects was 43.9% and 40.1% according to adapted Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-IIIa) and International Diabetes Federation criteria, respectively. No significant differences were found in prevalence according to ATP-IIIa criteria between men (42.6%) and woman (45.9%). A trend toward higher prevalence with age was observed for both sexes until 50 years, followed by a continued increase for women but a decrease for men. Use of a combination of atypical antipsychotics was associated with the highest metabolic syndrome prevalence and use of aripiprazole with the lowest. High percentages of subjects with hypertension and dyslipidemia were not being treated for these conditions. CONCLUSION: Despite their higher prevalence in schizophrenic patients, metabolic syndrome and its markers are not being adequately managed in these patients. Treatment of schizophrenic patients requires attention to not only their psychiatric conditions but also associated medical conditions by individual health care practitioners and hospitals as well as the public health care sector as a whole.
Adult ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dyslipidemias ; Female ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Outpatients ; Piperazines ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Quinolones ; Risk Factors ; Schizophrenia ; Aripiprazole

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of mucinous histology as a predictive marker of 5-Fluorouracil (FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II, III colon cancer. METHODS: Between January 1995 and December 2004, 987 patients who underwent curative resections for stage II, III sporadic colon cancer were classified into two groups, a mucinous carcinoma (MC) group and a non-mucinous carcinoma (NMC) group, based on the histology of the primary tumor. The differences in their clinicopathological characteristics and the prognostic impact of 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy for various tumor histologies were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 987 patients, MCs accounted for 6.8% (68 patients). MCs were more frequently located in the Rt. Colon (P<0.001) and were more frequently seen in young patients (less than 40 yr old) (P=0.028). The 5-yr survival rates between MC and NMC did not show any statistically significant difference. Patients, including both MC and NMC patients, who received 5-FU-based chemotherapy, revealed a better overall survival rate than patients with no adjuvant chemotherapy. In the multivariate analysis for the prognosis in NMC patients, 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy, initial negative nodal status, and preoperative CEA <5 ng/mL were statistically significant prognostic factors (P values: <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively). In contrast, there was no statistically independent significance of 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy in MC patients. CONCLUSION: In stage II and stage III sporadic colon cancer patients, response to 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy in MC patients might be poor than it is in NMC patients.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Mucins ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: We aim to analyze the clinical course and the recurrence patterns after surgical treatment in patients with intestinal Behcet's disease and to determine the prognostic factors. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with intestinal Behcet's disease who had undergone operations between 1979 and 2007 were analyzed. Clinical characteristics between the recurrent group (n=24) and the non-recurrent group (n=14) were compared. The cumulative recurrence rates were calculated by using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the results were compared by using the log-rank test. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 120 months. The median age of the 38 patients was 36.5 years, and the patients included 26 males and 12 females. Recurrences after surgical treatment were observed in 24 patients, and reoperations were performed in 21 patients. The mean age at operation was 35.7 years in the recurrent group and was less than 43.4 years in the non-recurrent group (P=0.030). Clinical subtypes of Behcet's disease (complete or incomplete vs. suspicious) and the cause of operation (presence vs. absence of a perforation or fistula) were different between the recurrent and the non-recurrent groups (P=0.048, P=0.014, respectively). The 5-year cumulative recurrence rate and reoperation rate for all patients with intestinal Behcet's disease who underwent operations were 52.7% and 36.0%, respectively the clinical subtypes and the cause of the operation were significant factors affecting the cumulative recurrence and the reoperation rates. CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal Behcet's disease demonstrates high recurrence and reoperation rates after surgical treatment. More careful follow up is needed to these surgical patients with high risk of recurrence and reoperation.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Reoperation