Background: Recent studies have shown that cells in various tissues express vitamin D receptors, indicating that vitamin D deficiency could increase the prevalence of several diseases, including sarcopenia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer. However, these studies were conducted in the West, and research on the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia is lacking in the East. This study aimed to examine the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia in older adults aged ≥65 years and contribute to the health of this population, which is prone to gradual decline due to falls or fractures. Methods: This cross-sectional investigation analyzed the data of 3,174 Korean adults aged ≥65 years, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A diagnosis of sarcopenia was made in cases where the skeletal muscle mass was two standard deviations lower than the mean skeletal muscle mass of healthy adults aged 20–39 years; other cases were considered normal. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of blood vitamin D levels on sarcopenia. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significantly increased probability of sarcopenia in both males (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–2.68) and females (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.30–2.47). Conclusion This finding suggests that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels could reduce the risk of sarcopenia in older individuals. The reduced risk of sarcopenia would subsequently decrease falls, fractures, and mortality rates, thereby enhancing the health of older adults.

Background: Recent studies have shown that cells in various tissues express vitamin D receptors, indicating that vitamin D deficiency could increase the prevalence of several diseases, including sarcopenia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer. However, these studies were conducted in the West, and research on the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia is lacking in the East. This study aimed to examine the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia in older adults aged ≥65 years and contribute to the health of this population, which is prone to gradual decline due to falls or fractures. Methods: This cross-sectional investigation analyzed the data of 3,174 Korean adults aged ≥65 years, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A diagnosis of sarcopenia was made in cases where the skeletal muscle mass was two standard deviations lower than the mean skeletal muscle mass of healthy adults aged 20–39 years; other cases were considered normal. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of blood vitamin D levels on sarcopenia. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significantly increased probability of sarcopenia in both males (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–2.68) and females (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.30–2.47). Conclusion This finding suggests that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels could reduce the risk of sarcopenia in older individuals. The reduced risk of sarcopenia would subsequently decrease falls, fractures, and mortality rates, thereby enhancing the health of older adults.

Background: Recent studies have shown that cells in various tissues express vitamin D receptors, indicating that vitamin D deficiency could increase the prevalence of several diseases, including sarcopenia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer. However, these studies were conducted in the West, and research on the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia is lacking in the East. This study aimed to examine the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia in older adults aged ≥65 years and contribute to the health of this population, which is prone to gradual decline due to falls or fractures. Methods: This cross-sectional investigation analyzed the data of 3,174 Korean adults aged ≥65 years, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A diagnosis of sarcopenia was made in cases where the skeletal muscle mass was two standard deviations lower than the mean skeletal muscle mass of healthy adults aged 20–39 years; other cases were considered normal. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of blood vitamin D levels on sarcopenia. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significantly increased probability of sarcopenia in both males (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–2.68) and females (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.30–2.47). Conclusion This finding suggests that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels could reduce the risk of sarcopenia in older individuals. The reduced risk of sarcopenia would subsequently decrease falls, fractures, and mortality rates, thereby enhancing the health of older adults.

Background: Recent studies have shown that cells in various tissues express vitamin D receptors, indicating that vitamin D deficiency could increase the prevalence of several diseases, including sarcopenia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer. However, these studies were conducted in the West, and research on the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia is lacking in the East. This study aimed to examine the correlation between vitamin D levels and sarcopenia in older adults aged ≥65 years and contribute to the health of this population, which is prone to gradual decline due to falls or fractures. Methods: This cross-sectional investigation analyzed the data of 3,174 Korean adults aged ≥65 years, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A diagnosis of sarcopenia was made in cases where the skeletal muscle mass was two standard deviations lower than the mean skeletal muscle mass of healthy adults aged 20–39 years; other cases were considered normal. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of blood vitamin D levels on sarcopenia. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significantly increased probability of sarcopenia in both males (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–2.68) and females (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.30–2.47). Conclusion This finding suggests that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels could reduce the risk of sarcopenia in older individuals. The reduced risk of sarcopenia would subsequently decrease falls, fractures, and mortality rates, thereby enhancing the health of older adults.

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the most common cause of cancer deaths in Korean women. Although tumor-induced mediators and cancer therapy can suppress cell-mediated immunity, the concurrence of herpes zoster in breast cancer patients has not been well-recognized. Objective: This study aimed to delineate the characteristics of herpes zoster in patients with breast cancer, particularly its association with patient age and breast cancer severity, treatment, and clinical course. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of breast cancer patients at a tertiary referral center in Korea from January 2003 to June 2018, identified patients with a subsequent diagnosis of herpes zoster, and analyzed their clinical characteristics. Results: Among 8,124 patients with breast cancer, 2.04% further developed zoster during a median 31-month follow-up period. Age at the diagnosis of breast cancer was higher in the zoster group than in the no zoster group.Cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy significantly increased the risk of zoster. Time from the diagnosis of breast cancer to zoster development was significantly shorter for invasive cancers than for in-situ cancers, with higher risk in the initial 2 years from the cancer diagnosis. Conclusion This study showed that breast cancer patients are at an increased risk of zoster, particularly in the time following cancer diagnosis. Therefore, a recent diagnosis of breast cancer should warrant clinical suspicion of zoster for patients with suggestive symptoms, and active management should be started.

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the most common cause of cancer deaths in Korean women. Although tumor-induced mediators and cancer therapy can suppress cell-mediated immunity, the concurrence of herpes zoster in breast cancer patients has not been well-recognized. Objective: This study aimed to delineate the characteristics of herpes zoster in patients with breast cancer, particularly its association with patient age and breast cancer severity, treatment, and clinical course. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of breast cancer patients at a tertiary referral center in Korea from January 2003 to June 2018, identified patients with a subsequent diagnosis of herpes zoster, and analyzed their clinical characteristics. Results: Among 8,124 patients with breast cancer, 2.04% further developed zoster during a median 31-month follow-up period. Age at the diagnosis of breast cancer was higher in the zoster group than in the no zoster group.Cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy significantly increased the risk of zoster. Time from the diagnosis of breast cancer to zoster development was significantly shorter for invasive cancers than for in-situ cancers, with higher risk in the initial 2 years from the cancer diagnosis. Conclusion This study showed that breast cancer patients are at an increased risk of zoster, particularly in the time following cancer diagnosis. Therefore, a recent diagnosis of breast cancer should warrant clinical suspicion of zoster for patients with suggestive symptoms, and active management should be started.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Melanoma ; Parkinson Disease