PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify variation in pregnancy wastage prevalence by type and age among married women aged 15~44 in Korea. METHODS: The study data is based on 3% patient sample data extracted from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in 2011 and 2014. For analysis, ANOVA and t-tests were performed using the SAS program. All data was weighted. RESULT: The number of women experiencing pregnancy wastage in Korea was approximately 110,000 and 114,000 in 2011 and 2014 respectively, figures 20% higher than the equivalent numbers of births in both cases. Of wastage types, spontaneous abortion was shown to have the highest prevalence, while the 30 to 34 years category represented the highest prevalence among age groups. Test outcomes regarding age difference demonstrated that, in 2011, the average maternal age in the “other abortion” type was older than that for spontaneous abortion. Age was shown to have a significant effect on surgery status; surgery experience was associated positively with maternal age. CONCLUSION: In this study, we defined terms for pregnancy wastages, derived the diseases codes related to pregnancy wastages, and ascertained the status of pregnancy wastage among women in Korea. Consequently, we suggest that the problem of pregnancy wastage in Korea should be recognized not only as a personal, but also a community, social, and national issue.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Female ; Fertility ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Maternal Age ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Risk Management ; Stillbirth

We investigated the livebirths prevalence and occurrence pattern of birth defects in Korea. After the survey on birth defects was done in 2,348 medical institutions around the nation, the birth defect prevalence of livebirths in 2005-2006 was calculated. This study was based on the medical insurance claims database of the National Health Insurance Corporation. The number of livebirths in Korea was 883,184 from 2005-2006, and 25,335 cases of birth defects were notified to our study, equivalent to a prevalence of 286.9 per 10,000 livebirths. Anomalies of the circulatory system were the most common defects, accounting for 43.4% of birth defects with a prevalence of 124.5 per 10,000 livebirths. It was followed by the musculoskeletal system anomalies, the digestive system anomalies, and the urinary system anomalies. The five major birth defects based on the ranking of prevalence were atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, hydronephrosis, patent ductus arteriosus, and cleft lip/palate. Birth defects in livebirths were associated with a high proportion of low birthweight, prematurity, multiple births and advanced maternal age. The prevalence of birth defects in Korea is similar to or lower than those reported in developed countries. Our study suggests baseline data to explain the current status of birth defects and to establish a registry system of birth defects in Korea.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cleft Lip/epidemiology ; Cleft Palate/epidemiology ; Congenital Abnormalities/*epidemiology ; Databases, Factual ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/epidemiology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/epidemiology ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular/epidemiology ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis/epidemiology ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Live Birth ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities/epidemiology ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

We experienced a case of congenital acute megakaryoblastic leukemia with Down syndrome. The patient was admitted due to characteristic facial figure of Down syndrome and abdominal distension. Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia was diagnosed with abundant megakaryoblast in peripheral blood smear, severe myelofibrosis in bone marrow biopsy and positive platelet glycoprotein III a receptor. On third hospital day, the patient expired due to DIC and pulmonary hemorrhage. Authors report the case with review of literature.
Biopsy ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; Dacarbazine ; Down Syndrome* ; Glycoproteins ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute* ; Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cells ; Primary Myelofibrosis

We experienced a case of congenital acute megakaryoblastic leukemia with Down syndrome. The patient was admitted due to characteristic facial figure of Down syndrome and abdominal distension. Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia was diagnosed with abundant megakaryoblast in peripheral blood smear, severe myelofibrosis in bone marrow biopsy and positive platelet glycoprotein III a receptor. On third hospital day, the patient expired due to DIC and pulmonary hemorrhage. Authors report the case with review of literature.
Biopsy ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; Dacarbazine ; Down Syndrome* ; Glycoproteins ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute* ; Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cells ; Primary Myelofibrosis

Congenital heart defect (CHD) is common in infants with Down syndrome (DS), which is the principle cause of mortality. However, there is no data available for the frequency and types of CHD in infants with DS in Korea. We investigated the frequency of CHD in infants with DS in Korea. After the survey on birth defects was conducted throughout the country, the prevalence of CHD in DS in 2005-2006 was calculated. This study was conducted based on the medical insurance claims database of the National Health Insurance Corporation. The number of total births in Korea was 888,263 in 2005-2006; of them, 25,975 cases of birth defects were identified. The prevalence of DS was 4.4 per 10,000 total births, accounting for 1.5% of all birth defects. Of the 394 infants with DS, 224 (56.9%) had a CHD. Atrial septal defect was the most common defect accounting for 30.5% of DS followed by ventricular septal defect (19.3%), patent duct arteriosus (17.5%), and atrioventricular septal defect (9.4%). Our study will be helpful to demonstrate the current status of DS and to identify the distribution of CHD in infants with DS in Korea.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Birth Weight ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Databases, Factual ; Down Syndrome/*complications ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/epidemiology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Heart Defects, Congenital/*epidemiology/etiology ; Heart Septal Defects/epidemiology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/epidemiology ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular/epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

BACKGROUND: The use of colony stimulating factor (CSF) has increased to mobilize hematopoietic progenitor cells for allo-PBSCT. The most effective mobilization regimen has not yet defined. The authors analyzed the results of the mobilized PBSC collection through large volume leukapheresis from 38 normal healthy donors using three different regimens, namely, a single regimen with GM-CSF (Leucogen ), a concurrent use of GM-CSF and G-CSF (Leucostim ), and a sequential regimen with GM-CSF followed by G-CSF. METHODS: This study was done on 38 healthy donors from Sep. 1998 to Jan. 2001. One donor was mobilized with G-CSF alone, 9 with GM-CSF alone, 20 with concurrent regimen and 8 with sequential regimen. After 5 days of mobilization treatment, PBSCs were collected by large volume leukapheresis through femoral vein catheter. We compared the results of each collected progenitor cells and observed the side effects. RESULTS: The average WBC count before apheresis was 22.6+-11.0x103/uL and circulating CD34+cell percent was 1.31+-2.24%. Total 66 times with an average of 1.46+-0.61 of largevolume leukapheresis were performed for the 37 donors. The mean collected MNC count was 4.61+-2.77x108/kg, CD3+cell count was 2.95+-1.82x108/kg and CD34+cell count was 9.76+-12.42x106/kg. A significant side effect observed after large volume leukapheresis was thrombocytopenia showing decrease from 199.1+-52.2 to 80.7+-25.2x103/uL without any bleeding tendency. The mean collected MNC counts provoed to be significantly higher in combination groups with GM-and G-CSF than GM-CSF alone (P<0.05). The CD34+cell counts showed to be statistically higher in a sequential group compared to the concurrent and single regimen groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: A mobilization protocol with combination regimens of GM-CSF and G-CSF seemed to be superior to a single regimen with GM-CSF. Large volume leukapheresis through femoral vein catheter after mobilization with combination regimens of GM-and G-CSF in normal healthy donors was safe and proved to be an excellent. method to harvest stem cells.
Blood Component Removal ; Catheters ; Colony-Stimulating Factors ; Femoral Vein ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor* ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukapheresis* ; Stem Cells* ; Thrombocytopenia ; Tissue Donors*