BACKGROUND: Oral allergy syndrome(OAS) is composed of it,ching sense and edema in oral cavity, lips, throat, pharynx, and larynx following eating some fresh fruits or vegetables. It has been known that most of patients with OAS are allergic to pollens. Common epitopes were found among pollens, fruits and vegetables. Although OAS is a common farm of food allergy in adults, this is the first epidemiologic study of OAS in Korea. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One hundred and fifty one patients who showed positive skin reaction to pollens were telephone-interviewed. Investigation of the prevalence and clinical manifestations of OAS was possible in 81 patients. RESULT: The prevalence of OAS among these patients was 34.6% (28/81). OAS was found in 24(48%) out of 50 patients sensitized to tree pollens, whereas 4(13%) of 31 grass or weed pollen-sensitized paients had OAS. Most common causative food was apple and all of 17 apple- OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Peach was the second common food and 14 of 15 peach-OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Besides oral symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or generalized urticaria were accompanied in half of the OAS patients (14/28). Some patients showed OAS to some unique Korean foods such as dropwort, taro and Aster. CONCLUSION: OAS was very common in pollen-sensitized patients. Larger epidemiologic studies are needed to find unique Korean foods and their antigensm causing OAS.
Adult ; Asthma ; Colocasia ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Edema ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epitopes ; Filipendula ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Korea ; Larynx ; Lip ; Mouth ; Nausea ; Pharynx ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Prevalence ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Urticaria ; Vegetables ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The outcome of asthma treatment has traditionally been assessed by measuring the conventional clinical parameters such as symptoms, expiratory flow rates and needs for medications. But none of them tells us whether the patients are actually able to function properly in their lives. Only assessment of the quality of life (QOL) can reflect the parts of patients lives affected by the disease. However, there is no measure to assess the quality of life of patients with any chronic diseases in Korea yet. We developed the QOL Questionnaire for Korean Asthmatics and evaluated its measurement properties. METHOD: The questionnaire was composed of 18 items in four domains : i.e. activity limitation (6 items), symptoms (5 items), emotional function (3 items) and environmental stimuli (4 items). At our out-patient clinic, 32 adults with moderate to severe persistent bronchial asthma were enrolled. The study design consisted of 4 week unblinded single cohort with visits at 0 and 4 weeks, and the patients were asked to answer the questionnaire by self administration method at the two separate visits. Forced expiratory volume for 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded at each visit. According to the patients and physicians global assessment, the patients were divided into two groups, i.e. stable and changed (improved). The responsiveness, reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated. RESULTS: The total QOL scores at the second visit in the changed group were significantly higher than those at the first visit. The score differences between the two visits in the changed group were higher than in the stable group. In the stable group, the responses to the questionnaire were reproducible. The QOL scores showed good longitudinal correlation with the expiratory flow rates, whereas FEV1 did not correlate with the QOL in cross-sectional analysis. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire proved to be reproducible, responsive and valid in the subjects. It could be recommended for the outcome evaluation of Korean asthmatics.
Adult ; Asthma ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Quality of Life* ; Self Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Anemia still remains the most common single nutrient deficiency disorder in the world, especially among adolescence period because of the accelerated physical growth both in boys and girls and menstrual losses in iron and dieting for fear of obesity in female teenagers. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anemia and microcytosis among healthy students. METHODS: We conducted blood tests in apparently healthy girls (n=49,162) and 2,203 boys aged 10 to 18 years who went to school in Pucheon. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), white blood cell and platelet count were determined at same day with the use of a Coulter T 540 (Coulter Corp., F1, U.S.A.). RESULTS: 1) In boys the mean Hb concentration increased with age from 13.2g/dL in 10~12 yr to 15.3g/dL in 17~18 yr. In girls the mean Hb concentration was 13.3g/dL in 10~12 yr, 13.1g/dL in 15~16 yr, and 12.9g/dL in 17~18 yr. The difference in mean Hb levels between both sexes was significant (P<0.001) after 13 yrs of age. The mean MCV and MCH increased with age in each sex. 2) In boys, the prevalence of anemia showed 6.5% in 10~12 years, 2.4% in 13~14 years, 5.7% in 15~16 years and 3.0% in 17~18 years. In girls, the prevalence of anemia increased with age: 2.1% in 10~12 years, 4.2% in 13~14 years, 12.1% in 15~16 years and 20.5% in 17~18 years. 3) The prevalence of microcytosis (MCV< 78 fL in 10~14 yr; MCV< 79 fL in 15~18 yr) in boys was about 1% in each group. The prevalence of microcytosis in girls was2.0% in 10~12 years, 2.7% in 13~14 years, 6.1% in 15~16 years and 8.1% in 17~18 years. CONCLUSION: As the prevalence of anemia was substantially greater than expected, studies of iron deficiency in adolescent girls should be performed to assess iron deficiency. In addition, nutritional education for adolescents is warranted.
Adolescent ; Anemia* ; Diet ; Education ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hematocrit ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Iron ; Leukocytes ; Obesity ; Platelet Count ; Prevalence*

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough is a common clinical problem to which various etiologies are attributable; postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and chronic bronchitis, However, in some cases, no particular etiology can be confirmed. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate cough sensitivity and the clinical manifestations of patients with idiopathic chronic cough. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 70 non-smoking patients who had been coughing for more than 3 weeks without any history, symptoms or signs of rhinitis, sinusitis, typical asthma, GER or recent upper respiratory infection episodes. Nineteen healthy controls were also enrolled. Bronchial provocation tests with methacholine, capsaicin and distilled water (DW) were performed. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were positive to rnethacholine test (PC20 < 25mg/ml) and defined as cough variant asthma. The others are classified into idiopathic chronic cough. By capsaicin and DW challenge tests, idiopathic cough patients could be divided into two groups, i.e., increased cough sensitivity (ICS) and normal cough sensitivity (NCS) groups. DW- induced cough counts were negatively correlated with C7 (lowest capsaicin concentration inducing continuous 7 or more coughs) (r=-0.739, p<0.001). No difference was found in clinical features such as age, sex, atopy, or peripheral eosinophil counts between these two groups but cough counts per cough burst were significantly higher in the ICS group. CONCLUSION: The heterogeneity in cough sensitivity of idiopathic chronic cough patients may refiect different pathophysiologic mechanisms. It is unclear whether patients with NCS merely have habitual or psychogenic cough or not. These suggest that different therapentic strategies should be established on idiopathic chronic cough patients according to cough sensitivity.
Asthma ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Capsaicin ; Cough* ; Eosinophils ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Methacholine Chloride ; Population Characteristics ; Rhinitis ; Sinusitis ; Water

No abstract available.
Anaphylaxis* ; Aprotinin* ; Thoracic Surgery*

Propylthiouracil(PTU) is one of lupus-inducing drugs, though rarely reported. We report a case of PTU-induced lupus, with the review of of previous literatures. Lupus-like symptoms in a 28year-old female patient, who had been suffering from relapsed Graves' disease, were presented during PTU therapy. The results of antinuclear antibody and anti-histone antibody were positive. After symptomatic reatment and discontinuation of PTU, all of the symptoms and the abnormalities in laboratory tests disappeared, which suggested drug-induced lupus.
Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Female ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Propylthiouracil

Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH) is a skeletal disease characterized by ligamentous ossification of the anterolateral side of the spine. Paravertebral and ligamentous ossification appears to be an usual complication of hypoparathyroidism. Diabetes Mellitus has often been mentioned in associated with DISH. The patient was presented with back pain, stiffness and intermittent numbness of hands and feet. Spine X-ray showed extensive ligamentous ossification of the anterolateral side of the spine with normal disc space height. Sacroiliac joints are normal. Increased bone mineral density of the L-spine and femur neck was observed, as well. Hypocalcemia, hyperphophatemia and low intact parathyroid hormone level were detected. Postprandial sugar were elevated. HLA B27 was negative.
Back Pain ; Bone Density ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Femur Neck ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperostosis, Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal* ; Hypesthesia ; Hypocalcemia ; Hypoparathyroidism* ; Ligaments ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Sacroiliac Joint ; Spine

Relapsing polychondritis, a rare multisystem disease, is characterized by wide spread potentially destructive inflammatory lesions, involving cartilaginous structures throughout the body. Auricular chondritis is the most frequent presenting sign of this disease, with arthritis being the second. Other clinical menifestations include nasal chondritis, scleritis, damage to tracheobroncheal cartilage, and cardiovascular and renal involvement. We experienced three cases of relapsiug polychondritis. One case is 66 year old male with bilateral auricular chondritis with histologic confirmation, episcleritis, polyarthritis, periarterial vasculitis, and sensorineural hearing loss. Another case is 42 year old male with respiratory, nasal, auricular chondritis and psoriasis with arthritis. The third case is 46 year old female with three year history of relapsing polychondritis, presenting bilateral auricular and nasal chondritis and severe respiratory tract involvement with histologic confirmation. We also reviewed the other case reports of relapsing polychondritis in Korea. The major presenting manifestations of relapsing polychondritis in Korea were respiratory tract symptoms of dyspnea, cough, and sputum. That is, auricular chondritis was less frequent thari laryngotracheal-bronchial involvement.
Adult ; Aged ; Arthritis ; Cartilage ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polychondritis, Relapsing* ; Psoriasis ; Respiratory System ; Scleritis ; Sputum ; Vasculitis

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine normal amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein level in midtrimester Korean pregnant women whose neonatal outcomes were normal. METHODS: Amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein(AFAFP) levels were measured by specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) in midtrimester pregnant women for various indications of amniocentesis from May 1992 to July 1999 at Seoul National University Hospital. Normal ranges were obtained from 640 singleton pregnancies in which neonatal outcomes were normal. RESULTS: Median values of AFAFP in Korean pregnant women were 13,250ng/mL, 12,900ng/mL, 11,150ng/mL, 9,430ng/mL, 8,019ng/mL, 6,800ng/mL, 5,850ng/mL, 5,750ng/mL, 5,210ng/mL, 3,420ng/mL at 15 week, 16 week, 17 week, 18 week, 19 week, 20 week, 21 week, 22 week, 23 week, 24 week, respectively. CONCLUSION: This determination of the median values and the normal range of AFAFP level by each gestational week in uncomplicated Korean women could be used reference values for prenatal diagnosis of various disorders like open neural tube defect.
alpha-Fetoproteins* ; Amniocentesis ; Amniotic Fluid* ; Female ; Humans ; Neural Tube Defects ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second* ; Pregnant Women* ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Radioimmunoassay ; Reference Values* ; Seoul

The authors present a case of cerebrellar venous hemorrhagic infarction which developed after removal of a cerebellopontine angle meningioma. The clinical course was rapidly fatal inspite of an aggressive management including surgical decompression beginning from 30 minutes after complete recovery from anesthesia. The brain C-T scan showed flame-shaped subcortical hemorrhage which is known to be a typical finding of a venous hemorrhagic infarction. The causes may be two fold:One is the cautrization and resection of multiple petrosal veins which were inevitable because of a bleeding from the vein and the other is the venous congestion caused by the compression of an internal jugular vein in oblique supine position. Reminding of one or oth of the above possibilities whenever we are performing surgery around the superior petrosal vein may help us to prevent the rare but fatal complication of this kind.
Anesthesia ; Brain ; Cerebellopontine Angle* ; Decompression, Surgical ; Hemorrhage ; Hyperemia ; Infarction* ; Jugular Veins ; Meningioma ; Supine Position ; Veins