Purpose: To identify changes in medical expenditures and health care utilization before and after visual impairment onset, then analyze differences according to visual impairment severity. Methods: Patients aged ≥ 18 years who were registered as visually disabled from 2005 to 2013 were selected using the database from the registry of the disabled and the National Health Insurance Service. The observation period of 3 years before and after the registration was divided into 6-month units (12 points of interest). At each point of interest, medical cost, number of outpatient visits, and length of hospital stay (LOS) were analyzed. The control group was obtained through 1:10 stratification randomization to match sex and age; individuals in the control group were then selected via 1:1 propensity score matching for the premium quantile and residential area. Results: In total, 131,434 patients with visual disability and the same number of non-visually impaired controls were included. Compared with non-disabled individuals, the mean medical cost and number of outpatient visits were higher for patients with visual disability (1.9- and 1.4-fold, respectively, p < 0.001); the LOS was also 3.5 days longer (p < 0.001). The mean medical cost and number of outpatient visits were greater in severely visually disabled patients than in mildly disabled patients (1.6- and 0.5-fold, respectively, p < 0.001); the LOS was also 12 days longer in severely disabled patients (p < 0.001). From 18 months before disability registration, medical costs and LOS increased according to the presence and severity of visual disability; the number of outpatient visits increased uniformly, regardless of disability and severity. Conclusions More severe cases of visual impairment are associated with greater health care utilization and expenditures. Policy intervention is necessary to ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment and steady health care by reducing the burden of medical expenditures.

Purpose: To analyze changes in the incidences of chronic and traumatic diseases before and after registration as visually disabled. Methods: The incidence and risk of chronic and traumatic diseases were compared between patients registered as visually disabled from 2005 to 2013 and a control group, selected through 1:1 propensity score matching for age, sex, premium quantile, and residential area distribution. Data from the National Health Insurance Service were used and the observation period was set from 2 years before to 5 years after the time of registration as visually disabled. The incidences (%) of chronic and traumatic diseases at the point of interest were determined as the mean values according to year of registration, and the risk was measured by conditional logistic regression analysis. Results: 131,434 visually disabled patients and the same number of non-visually impaired controls were included. The incidences of chronic disease and fall-related injury were higher in the visually disabled group before registration, but gradually decreased and became similar to the control group after registration. In addition, the risk of developing chronic diseases was higher in the visually disabled group until 2 years after registration, while the risk of fall-related injury remained consistently higher in the visually disabled group during the observation period. The incidence and risk of hip fracture in the visually disabled group increased gradually from approximately 1 year before registration and remained consistently higher than in the control group. Conclusions People with visual disability have higher incidences of chronic diseases than do non-visually impaired people and are at greater risk of traumatic injuries, such as hip fractures or falls. There is a need to establish community infrastructure and expand welfare services for the prevention and early treatment of comorbidities, both for patients with registered visual disabilities and for patients who have not yet registered.

PURPOSE: We investigated correlations between the findings of oral examinations and panoramic radiography in order to determine the efficacy of using panoramic radiographs in screening examinations. METHODS: This study included patients who visited dental clinics at National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) Ilsan Hospital for checkups during 2009–2015 and underwent panoramic radiographic examinations within 1 year prior to the oral examinations. Among the 48,006 patients who received checkups, 1,091 were included in this study. The data were evaluated using the Cohen kappa and interrater agreement coefficients. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated using data from the panoramic radiographs as true positive diagnoses. RESULTS: The interrater agreement coefficient for occlusal caries was 28.8%, and the Cohen kappa coefficient was 0.043 between the oral and panoramic radiographic examinations. Root caries and subgingival calculus were only found on the radiographs, while gingival inflammation was found only by the oral examinations. The oral examinations had a specificity for detecting occlusal dental caries of 100%, while their sensitivity for proximal dental caries and supragingival calculus was extremely low (14.0% and 18.3%, respectively) compared to the panoramic radiographic examinations. The oral examinations showed a relatively low sensitivity of 66.2% and a specificity of 43.7% in detecting tooth loss compared with panoramic radiography. CONCLUSIONS: Panoramic radiography can provide information that is difficult to obtain in oral examinations, such as root caries, furcation involvement, and subgingival calculus, which are factors that can directly affect the survival rate of teeth. It therefore seems reasonable and necessary to add panoramic radiography to large-scale health checkup programs such as that provided by the NHIS.
Calculi ; Dental Caries ; Dental Clinics ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Oral ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Mass Screening ; National Health Programs ; Radiography, Dental ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Root Caries ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Survival Rate ; Tooth ; Tooth Loss

Purpose: To analyze changes in the incidences of chronic and traumatic diseases before and after registration as visually disabled. Methods: The incidence and risk of chronic and traumatic diseases were compared between patients registered as visually disabled from 2005 to 2013 and a control group, selected through 1:1 propensity score matching for age, sex, premium quantile, and residential area distribution. Data from the National Health Insurance Service were used and the observation period was set from 2 years before to 5 years after the time of registration as visually disabled. The incidences (%) of chronic and traumatic diseases at the point of interest were determined as the mean values according to year of registration, and the risk was measured by conditional logistic regression analysis. Results: 131,434 visually disabled patients and the same number of non-visually impaired controls were included. The incidences of chronic disease and fall-related injury were higher in the visually disabled group before registration, but gradually decreased and became similar to the control group after registration. In addition, the risk of developing chronic diseases was higher in the visually disabled group until 2 years after registration, while the risk of fall-related injury remained consistently higher in the visually disabled group during the observation period. The incidence and risk of hip fracture in the visually disabled group increased gradually from approximately 1 year before registration and remained consistently higher than in the control group. Conclusions People with visual disability have higher incidences of chronic diseases than do non-visually impaired people and are at greater risk of traumatic injuries, such as hip fractures or falls. There is a need to establish community infrastructure and expand welfare services for the prevention and early treatment of comorbidities, both for patients with registered visual disabilities and for patients who have not yet registered.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterize the nature and elucidate the pathogenesis of hemodialysis ascites(HA), especially with regard to the levels of Serum Ascites Albumin radient(SAAG) and the degrees of hemodialysis adequacy(Kt/Vurea). METHODS: In the study group, seven cases of HA which had developed in 6 patients from Feb. 1997 through July 1998 were included. In the control group, 24 cases which had not developed HA were included. The study design was a retrospective. Analysis of ascites on WBC, total protein and albumin, cytology, ADA(Adenosine deaminase), osmolality, SAAG and routine work-up were performed in HA group. Serum total protein and albumin, C-reactive protein(CRP), osmolality, and routine liver function test were also checked. Kt/Vurea and weekly Kt/Vurea were calculated in both group. In statistical analyses, t-test and chi-square test were used. RESULTS: Mean SAAG of HA was >1.1(1.49+/-0.40) gm/dL, and mean concentration of total protein of HA was >2.5(4.26+/-0.58) gm/dL. The mean of weekly Kt/Vurea of patients with HA(2.61+/-0.85) was significantly lower than that of patients without HA(3.48+/-0.90)(p<0.05). Positive ratio of CRP in patients with HA was higher than that of patients without HA(p<0.05). Mean concentration of serum total protein was significantly higher in patients with HA than that of patients without HA but with comparable weekly Kt/Vurea levels(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It is regarded that the nature of HA is an exudate having high SAAG over 1.1 gm/dL. Low weekly Kt/Vurea is suggested as a cause of HA. Chronic inflammation was also regarded as an important factor causing HA.
Ascites* ; Exudates and Transudates ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Liver Function Tests ; Osmolar Concentration ; Renal Dialysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Urea*

The nephrotic syndrome has been reported in association with a wide variety of neoplastic disease. The relationship between early gastric cancer and glomerulonephritis has not been well elucidated. Only 6 cases (5 cases in Korea and 1 case in Japan) have been reported associated with glomerulonephritis by this time. 5 cases in Korea included three cases of membranous glomerulonephritis, one case of IgA nephropathy and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Four out of six cases including presented case were mucin secreting adenocarcinomas of stomach. Minimal change disease associated with solid tumors has been reported very rarely. Three cases of colon adenocarcinoma have been reported in association with minimal change disease by this time. Complete remission of nephrotic syndrome with tumor resection without corticosteroid therapy was reported in one of three cases, but two of them had to be on corticosteroid therapy in addition to tumor resection to get complete remissions. We report a 44-year-old man case with nephrotic syndrome associated with early gastric cancer. Renal biopsy findings were indicative of minimal change disease but with scanty IgA deposition. Low grade IgA nephropathy was suggested. Endoscopic biopsy on stomach demonstrated the adenocarcinoma with signet ring cells. Serum IgA concentration was 543 mg/dL, and decreased to 336 mg/dL after tumor resection. But, owing to persistent proteinuria and acute renal failure complicated, corticosteroid therapy was applied on the 30th day after operation. So we could not prove definite relationship between early gastric cancer and the development of IgA nephropathy mimicking minimal change disease. But, it is regarded that normalized serum IgAlevel and the complete remission of nephrotic syndrome with tumor resection and corticosteroid therapy can be indirect evidences for the relationship between early gastric cancer and the development of IgA nephropathy mimicking minimal change disease.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adenocarcinoma ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Colon ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA* ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranous ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Korea ; Mucins ; Nephrosis ; Nephrosis, Lipoid* ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Proteinuria ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms*