This study was conducted to clarify the relationship of body fat percent with serum lipid level and blood pressure in adults. The study subjects were 472 men and l89 women who visited Multiphasic Health screening center of Yeungnam university Hospital in Taegu from May 20 to September 30, 1994. The relationship of serum lipid and blood pressure with BMl, Katsura index, atherogenic index, which calculated from the health screening data and body fat percent measured by impedance fat meter(model SIF-819) were analyzed. Three groups were classified as Group I(men: body fat percent > or= 20, women: body fat percent > or= 25, Group II (men: 15 < or = body fat percent <20, women: 20 < or = body fat percent<25, Group III(men: body fat percent <15. women: body fat percent<20) In this study, Group I accounted for 3.2%in men, 3.7%in women. Weight was significantly different among three groups in both sexes(p<0.01) and height was not significantly different among three groups. In men, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein. atherogenic index were significantly different(p<0.01). In women, serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein were significantly different(p<0.05 but there was no differences in triglyceride and high density lipoprotein among three groups. BMl and Katsura index were significantly different among three groups in both sexes(p<0.01). In men, body fat percent was positively correlated with weight, BMl, Katsura index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, atherogenic index and systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and negatively correlated with high density lipoprotein. In women, body fat percent was positively correlated with age, height, weight, BMl, Katsura index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein and atherogenic index, and negatively correlated with high density lipoprotein. But there was no significant correlation between body fat percent and blood pressure in women. In multiple regression analysis for total cholesterol, fat percent, age and BMl were significant independent variables in men(p<0.05, R2=0.1286), and body fat percent and age in women(p<0.05, R2=0.3399). In case of LDL/HDL ratio, only BMl was a significant independent variable in men(p<0.01, R2=0.0954), and body fat percent, age and BMl in women(p<0.05, R2=0.3164). In multiple regression analysis, age, low density lipoprotein and total cholesterol were significant independent variables on systolic blood pressure in men(p<0.05, R2=0.1297), age and total cholesterol in women(p<0.055, R2=0.1705). On diastolic blood pressure, only age was a significantly independent variable in men(p<0.01, R2=0.0972) and women(p<0.01, R2=0..1218). From the result of this study, it could concluded that body fat percent was significantly associated with other obesity indices and serum lipid, but had no significant association with blood pressure. To establish the relationship of body fat percent with blood pressure, further study which consider other variables that may have an effect on blood pressure should be performed.
Adipose Tissue* ; Adult* ; Blood Pressure* ; Cholesterol ; Daegu ; Electric Impedance ; Female ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Obesity ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: The evaluation of obesity in practice has been done indirectly by anthropometric values such as body mass index(BMI), waist and hip circumferences and waisthip ratio(WHR). Somatotype drawing developed by Srensen has been evaluated as a simple instrument of obesity without real somatic measuring in several studies. This study was attempted to evaluate correlation between somatotype drawing and anthropometric values. METHODS: The subjects were measured anthroprmetric values such as height, weight, hip and waist circumferences. After calculating BMI and WHR, we evaluated correlation between these values and somatotype drawing. And we tried to grouping of somatotype drawing with the means of anthropometric values. RESULTS: The data were collected from 224 subjects, whose BMI(kg/m2) and WHR were 22.81+/-2.96 and 0.84+/-0.07(mean+/-SD). Spearmans correlation coefficients(rs) of somatotype drawing were 0.77 with BMI, 0.62 with waist circumference, 0.61 with weight and hip circumference, 0.40 with WHR that remained statistically significant after adjusting age, sex, education level, monthly income and job. And, the grades of somatotype drawing were grouped as 1, 2, 3-4, 5-6, 7 by BMI and hip circumference, 1, 2-4, 5, 6, 7 by waist circumference(ANOVA and Duncans method). CONCLUSIONS: Somatotype drawing has a good correlations with BMI, weight, waist and hip circumference. But it is not applicable to assess WHR because of its relatively lower correlation.
Education ; Hip ; Obesity ; Somatotypes* ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND: As people have been interested in healt,h and as the microcomputers with multimedia steeing have been supplied more and more, there is increasing need of multimedia information about health. The CD-ROM, which is a representative multimedia tool, is capable of interacting between information-provider and users, offering audiovisual interface, and saving great deal of knowledge. METHODS: We developed the health-information system to provide ordinary people with hea1th information using multimedia tools. It, has 7 parts ; self-diagnosis, exploring human body, drug information, hospital information, first-aid treatment, Q and A, and medical common sense. We got image data such as figures, photos, X-rays, electrocardiograms and pathologic specimens with scanner and film scanner, also moving image(video) with video-capturing program. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: We hope the multimedia health-information system to become a useful methodology of patient education and to be used as an information source in medical information network in the near future.
CD-ROM ; Electrocardiography ; Hope ; Human Body ; Information Services ; Microcomputers ; Multimedia* ; Patient Education as Topic

Carcinoid is a neuroendocrine tumor and contains many peptide substances and biological active amines, so if it is released, it can cause carcinoid syndrome. However, most carcinoid tumors are unfortunately asymptomatic, and it is difficult to find one smaller than 1 cm because it doesn't have prominent mucosal elevation and change. We can reduce expenses and recovery period of the patient by using a relatively noninvasive endoscopic mucosal resection, unless it has distant organ and lymph node metastasis. Colonoscopy is an optimizing diagnostic tool for early detection of asymptomatic carcinoids. But according to colonoscopic guidelines of many institutes, they recommend to perform a screening colonoscopy in the asymptomatic fifties if there are no risk factors. However, a careful examination of colonoscopy is needed, because possibility of malignant tumor in aymptomatic young age. The authors report four cases of carcinoid tumor in asymptomatic thirties with review of several literatures.
Academies and Institutes ; Amines ; Carcinoid Tumor ; Colonoscopy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mass Screening ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Recently, childhood obesity has increased and became a major health concern in Korea. The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of childhood obesity in rural city and to explore the risk factors of obesity including obesity of parents. METHODS: We made 13 convenience samples of elementary school and attached kindergarten located in Asan-city, ChungNam, in 2001. We surveyed children's height, weight, and risk factors of childhood obesity with a self-recorded questionnaire answered by parents. Children's obesity was evaluated by ideal body weight which is defined as the 50th percentile of weight for Korean children of the same height and sex in 1998. The criteria of parents' obesity was over 25 of BMI. RESULTS: The subjects were 1,558 children among 1870 respondents. The prevalence of childhood obesity was 9.4% and that of male children was 11.0% and that of female children was 7.9%. The older in both male and female, the higher the obesity prevalence was. Mother's age were significantly higher in obese children. Birth weight and family income were also significantly higher in obese children. There was a higher family history of obesity in obese children. Risk factors associated with childhood obesity were gender, age of child, mother's age, birth weight, number of siblings, family income, and family history of obesity. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of childhood obesity in Asan-city was 9.4%. Children whose father, mother, or parents were obese tended to be obese.
Birth Weight ; Child ; Chungcheongnam-do* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Fathers ; Female ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Korea ; Male ; Mothers ; Obesity* ; Parents ; Pediatric Obesity* ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors* ; Siblings

Recent progress in medical informatics enable to use various medical regardless of time or place, to make a diagnostic and therapeutic plan, with increasing need about health of general population. There are many homepages on the web, which provide medical common senses, hospital information. and medical counseling on the web. Virtual Hospital, which is comprehensive medical information system on the web, has medical counseling program with various health information such as self-diagnosis, first-aid treatment information, drug information, Q and A, and so on. The aim of this study is to examine the content and purpose of medical counseling on the web. The subjects consisted of 277 counsels which visited 'Medical Counseling' in the Virtual Hospital for December 1996 through May 1997. Many questioners wanted to consult about their symptoms, to know prevention and treatment strategies, and to know specific medical knowledge. The most common questions are as follows: general and unspecified, digestive, musculoskeletal, and skin problems. These findings suggest medical counseling may be used to supplement the lack of direct medical Interviews with doctors.
Computer Communication Networks ; Counseling* ; Information Systems ; Internet* ; Medical Informatics ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Rubella is a viral infection of childhood. Its clinical manifestations are not serious, but rubella infection in early pregnancy can result. in congenital rubella syndrome. In Korea, there have been several rubella outbreaks in 1996. We performed an epidemiological study about a rubella outbreak in middle and high school students in an isolated small town. METHODS: This study was carried out from March 22, 1996 to April 29, 1996. The target populations were middle and high school students(middle school-1,369, high school-966 students) in Namseonri. They were given a questionnaire containing sociodemographic characteristics, past vaccination history and rubella-like symptoms. We selected 70 clinically diagnosed patients and 233 students with rubella-like symptoms from the questionnaires. Through IgM and IgG ELISA we analyzed the serum of selected students. All of the middle and high school students except those with clinical rubella were vaccinated on March 27. RESULTS: 1) The number of IgM positive students was 65 among 303 selected students. 58 students among the IgM positive group were diagnosed clinically, and 7 patients and subclincal infection. 2) Male patients were more predominant than female, especially in high school(M : F, 2 : 1 in middle school, 7 : 1 in high school). 3) Positive rates of IgG gradually increased by grade from 58.3% to 92.9% (1st grade of middle school to 3rd grade of high school). 4) IgG titer of the booster vaccinees(2nd and 3rd tirade female, high school) was significantly higher than younger female students(p<.05). 5) After mass vaccination, 3 more patients caught rubella in high school during 1 month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Among 2335 students, IgM positive patients were 65 with incidence rate of 2.8%. Mass vaccination of the studentg an effective preventive method in a rubella outbreak.
Disease Outbreaks ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Vaccination ; Pregnancy ; Rubella Syndrome, Congenital ; Rubella* ; Vaccination ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Throughout the past 20 years in the Korean academy of family medicine seasonal conference, on-going study is done to promote overall development and satisfaction of the conference participants and to overlook the trend of the conference subject, the number of classes, the number of participants, etc. METHODS: About 2,132 topics during the conference from the year 1992 to 2007 collected from the Korean academy of family medicine website were categorized by subject based on the standard of the contents of the latest textbook. There were a total of 7 main classifications including 5 categories like 'principles of family medicine', 'disease prevention and health promotion', 'symptoms', 'clinical procedures', 'diseases' and adding 2 categories such as each committee's classes and other subjects. The scope of the changes of the main and sub-titles were categorized as in the 1990s and 21 century. RESULTS: The number of attendees has increased during the past 20 years, especially the residents were the main portion of the participants. On the proportion of the clinical topics, there was a remarkable increase of geriatric medicine, palliative medicine, obesity, exercise, nutrition, gastroscopy, and colonoscopy procedure in the later half rather than the former half period. In the field of the main category, the core principle subjects of family medicine seemed to be decreased in contrast to disease category. CONCLUSION: During the last 20 years, the titles of family medicine conference are changing with the trend of practice. The core knowledge of family medicine should be maintained and balanced for the future of family medicine conference.
Colonoscopy ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Obesity ; Palliative Care ; Seasons

BACKGROUND: Common cold is the most frequently seen ambulatory disease in primary care clinic of Korea. This study investigated the perspectives and expected pattern of health care utilization of patients who visit a primary care clinic in order to understand patients' health care behavior for treating common cold and to consider how to educate them effectively. METHODS: We surveyed 570 patients and their accompanying people who visited family medicine clinic and the health promotion center of a university hospital by questionnaire, in which we asked the patients what they think of the cause, symptom, and treatment of common cold and their pattern of health care utilization. RESULTS: The respondents replied that the cause of common cold was a virus (446, 85.3%), a bacteria (58, 11.3%) or others (18, 3.4%). Among the total, 475 respondents (88.6%) replied that they had taken cold medicine before and 264 respondents (55.7%) reported that the symptoms took 1-2 weeks to recover. A total of 285 respondents (58.3%) replied that they prefer red to go to the doctor and 198 (40.5%) replied that they prefer to go to a pharmacy. The respondents who thought that symptoms of common cold takes longer than one week tended to choose to visit a doctor. Patients thought that antibiotics (54.4%) and those that relieved common cold symptoms earlier (30.1%) were 'strong' cold medicine. CONCLUSION: The results of this survey showed that the difference in patients' perspectives made an effect on the patients' treatment seeking behavior. Even though medicine did not take effect to relieve symptoms, most patients wanted to continue to visit physicians. The family physician should not give only the prescription, but also make an effort to provide pertinent information to patients and educate them to acquire appropriate perspectives.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Cold Temperature ; Common Cold ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Pharmacy ; Physicians, Family ; Prescriptions ; Primary Health Care ; Viruses

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to predict the development of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) following percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) in patients with a favorable morphology of the mitral valve (MV). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We prospectively examined 253 patients with severe mitral stenosis from 1997 to 2000. Echocardiographic evaluation of MV morphology was performed prior to PMV. We proposed commissural calcification, severe relative prolapse, and uneven thickening of MV as predictors of MR following PMV and defined the MR risk group as patients with any of these 3 features. The balloon size was expressed as the value of the effective balloon dilating area divided by the body surface area. The larger balloon group was defined as patients in whom balloon size>3.8 cm 2/m 2 was selected for PMV. The development of severe MR was defined as the presence of MR> or = 3 + on echocardiography following PMV. RESULTS: Severe MR developed in 14 (5.5%) patients. On multiple logistic regression analysis, the MR risk group (p<0.001) and balloon size (p=0.009) were the only significant independent predictors of severe MR following PMV. A sensitivity and specificity of a Padial MR score >8 and MR risk group was 43%, 88% and 71%, 86% respectively. In the MR risk group, severe MR developed in 8 (53.3%) of 15 patients of the larger balloon group as compared with 2 (6.9%) of 29 patients of the smaller balloon group (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Echocardiography can identify patients with a high risk of developing MR after PMV and the use of a smaller Inoue balloon may prevent severe MR in selected patients.
Body Surface Area ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency* ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Prolapse ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity