Children have dynamic process of maturation and substantial changes in growth and development which eventually make the drug safety profiles different from adults. Medication errors (MEs) in pediatrics are reported to occur three times more likely than adults. The aims of this study were to identify the characteristics of pediatric MEs in Korea at national level and help raise awareness of risks from the MEs in pediatrics. We conducted a descriptive analysis with the pediatric ME reports in Korea Adverse Event Reporting System (KAERS) database from 1989 to 2012 and 208 ME reports in pediatrics were found. Based on KAERS database, the proportion of reported pediatric ME in adverse drug event (ADE) reports was 2.73 times (95% CI, 2.35-3.17) higher than that of adult ME. In 208 ME reports, we found a total of 236 ME-related terms within 19 types of MEs. The most common type of MEs was "accidental overdose" (n = 58, 24.6%), followed by "drug maladministration" (n = 50, 21.2%) and "medication error" (n = 41, 17.4%). After the narratives of ME reports were reviewed, we noticed that most of them did no harm to patients, but some cases were needed for medical treatment. Our data suggest that MEs in pediatrics are not negligible in Korea. We expect that this study would increase the awareness of the problem in pediatric MEs and induce the need for further development of an effective national ME preventing system in Korea.
Adult ; *Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems ; Child ; *Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Medication Errors/*statistics & numerical data ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Time Factors

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of anogenital warts (AGW) caused by human papillomavirus in men and the characteristics and changes of the disease in Korea. Materials and Methods: From 2007 to 2018, male AGW corresponding to the International Classification of Disease-10 A63.0 were targeted. Through a big data analysis of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, data of patients diagnosed with AGW as either the main or secondary diagnosis were extracted. The overall prevalence and prevalence by age were calculated through the population by year and the population by 5-year-old unit of the National Statistical Office. Additionally, the amount accrued through the disease code was confirmed and compared as AGW-related medical expenses. Results: The annual number of patients increased by 3.5 times from 32,709 in 2007 to 114,734 in 2018. Additionally, the annual prevalence increased by 3.34 times from 132.83 per 100,000 to 443.57. The age-specific prevalence was the highest among the 25-to 29-year age group. The highest prevalence was observed in the 25- to 29-year age group in 2018 (1,492.15 per 100,000), and the lowest was noted in the 10- to 14-year age group in 2014 (7.28 per 100,000). AGW-related medical expenses increased by approximately 9.76 times from US$ 2,789,215.1 in 2007 to US$ 27,227,254.9 in 2018. Conclusions In Korea, cases of male AGW are increasing yearly, with the 25- to 29-year age group having the highest prevalence.Medical costs related to AGW are also increasing tenfold. For male AGW, further studies and national interventions are needed.

BACKGROUND: Although heart transplantation is the only therapeutic modality for patients with end-stage heart disease, immunosuppressive therapy to reduce organ rejection may increase the risk of infection in transplant patients. Little is known regarding infectious complications in heart transplant recipients in Korea. Thus, this study was performed to evaluate the clinical features and outcome of infectious complications in patients receiving heart transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed by reviewing medical records of patients who underwent heart transplantation from December 1996 to October 2008 in Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. RESULTS: A total of 72 cardiac allograft recipients were included in the analysis. Median follow-up duration was 417 (range, 2-3995) days. During the follow-up period, 75 infectious complications occurred in 39 (54.2%) recipients, of which 31 cases (41.3%) were caused by bacteria, 28 (37.3%) by viruses, 10 (13.3%) by fungi, 4 (5.4%) by Pneumocystis jirovecii, and 2 (2.7%) by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Median onset time of bacterial, viral and fungal infection were 153, 106 and 68 days, respectively. The most common site of infection was lung (n=26, 34.7%), followed by gastrointestinal tract (n=11, 14.7%) and oral cavity (n=9, 12%). All patients were sero-positive for cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific IgG before transplantation and received preemptive therapy of CMV infection. After heart transplantation, 44 (63.8%) patients experienced CMV reactivation identified by CMV antigenemia and 9 (13%) patients had organ-specific CMV diseases. The overall mortality rate was 33.3% (24/72). Infectious complications were the most common cause of death (n=10, 41.7%). The operative risk factors for death were lung infection, fungal infection and bloodstream infection. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, the lung was the most common site of infection and bacteria were the most frequent etiologic pathogens among heart transplant recipients. Infectious complications, especially fungal infections were the most common causes of death. Prevention strategies against fungal infections should be evaluated in the future studies.
Bacteria ; Cause of Death ; Cohort Studies ; Cytomegalovirus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fungi ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Transplantation ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea ; Lung ; Medical Records ; Mouth ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pneumocystis jirovecii ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Transplants