No abstract available.

Internet is changing almost every facet of our daily lives and the health care is not the exception. About half of the Korean population are using Internet and Korea has the highest rate of high bandwidth Internet use such as ADSL, Cable TV, and so on. E-health has been around health information, e-commerce, and connectivity. Now it migrates toward patient care, so called, e-care. E-care tries to improve the quality of care and reduce the health care costs like the traditional health care. The examples are health risk assessment, information and support, disease management, and interactive medical channel. Health risk assessment provides a comprehensive appraisal of risk factors, summarized by the health age. Information and support sites are specified for special age groups and special diseases. Many medical institutions such as hospitals or HMOs are providing medical channels as a part of their health care services. Many chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and congestive heart failure are managed on-line supplementing the traditional doctors' care and management of such diseases. For the first time in Korea, an e-care system, named "Lifetime Health Clinic" is introduced. It provides health information for 80~90% of health problems occurring in a typical home. It also provides a lifetime cancer screening guideline and guidelines to manage registered members' health risks such as smoking, exercise, stress, nutrition, and weight. Clients select their own family physicians and their questions are answered by them on a one-to-one basis. It will improve the quality of medical care supplementing the traditional doctor's role.
Chronic Disease ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Disease Management ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Health Care Costs ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Internet ; Korea ; Patient Care ; Physicians, Family ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

No abstract available.
Telemedicine*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Reproducibility of Results*

No abstract available.
Telephone*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Fibroblasts* ; Fluorouracil* ; Rats*

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism may be involved in a significant portion of the causes of hypercholesterolemia in Korea. In this study, we determined the frequency of suspected hypothyroidism in hypercholesterolemic patients and compared the frequency of elevated thyrotropin levels among the groups with various total cholesterol levels. METHODS: The study subjects were healthy, asymptomatic people who visited Health Promotion Center of Seoul National University Hospital. We excluded subjects with history of hypertension, DM and hypothyroidism. The study subjects underwent physical examination and filled out a questionnaire on health risk factors. Also blood chemistry and thyroid function test were done. RESULTS: Among 6479 subjects, 194(2.99%) had elevated(>4.1 microIU/ml) thyrotropin levels. Among the hypercholesterolemic(> or=240mg/dl) patients(n=868), 40(4.60%) had elevated thyrotropin levels. And there was statistically significant difference between normal cholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic subjects(P<0.05). Among the patients with total cholesterol above 280mg/dl (n=180), 15(8.33%) had elevated thyrotropin levels. As amount of the total cholesterol increased, the frequency of elevated thyrotropin levels Increased(P=0.001). And this result was consistent following adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking and drinking status(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Practicing physicians should be aware of the possibility of secondary hypercholesterolemia due to hypothyroidism and keep in mind the importance of evaluating TSH level.
Chemistry ; Cholesterol* ; Drinking ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Hypothyroidism ; Korea ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyrotropin* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Iron*

BACKGROUND: Recently, according to many studies, variable factors have been known to be associated with physical fitness. The factors such as obesity and inactivity are associated with poor physical fitness, but regular exercise is associated with good physical fitness. In our country, these studies are not yet reported. And so, this study was designed to investigate the factors associat,ed with physical fitness. METHODS: From May 1st, until July 30th 1996, we recruited the 411 subjects who visited the Health Promotion Center at Seoul National University Hospital. Data related to sex, age, exercise, job, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption were obtained by self-administered Questionnaire. Obesity index was calculated by the percentage of standard body weight. And VO2max were obtained by submaximal bicycle ergometer test. High level exercise group was defined as the persons who had taken exercise more than 3 times a week and 20 minutes per session, and moderate exercise group was defined as the persons who had taken exercise one or two times a week and 20 minutes per session, and sedentary group was defined as the persons who had taken exercise more than 20 minutes less than one time per week. RESULTS: The subjects were 230 males(56%), total numbers were 411. The results were as follows. Compaired to women and nonexercise group, men and exercise group had high VO2max(p<0.005). The relationship between VO2max and age showed negative, and the VO2max of obese group(obesity index>_120) was greater than that of nonobese group. Any significant relationships between VO2max and job, disease were not found. In multiple regression analysis, significant relationships between VO2max and age, sex, exercise type, and obesity index were observed(p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that there were significant relationships between VO2max and obesity index, exercise group.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Weight ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Physical Fitness* ; Seoul ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires