BACKGROUND: Underweight is associated with increased mortality, relative to the normal weight category. The importance of managing underweight patients has not yet been recognized seriously in South Korea, and little information is available on the prevalence of underweight and its associated risk factors. This study aims to investigate changes in the prevalence of underweight by gender and age and analyze its trend.METHODS: Data were obtained from individuals aged >20 years, from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1995 and 2015. The subjects of this study included 134,613 adults (male, 61,152; female, 73,461). The prevalence of underweight was determined as defined by the Asia-Pacific Perspective, and socioeconomic factors associated with a predisposition to underweight were analyzed using the chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression analysis.RESULTS: Among Korean adults, the age-adjusted prevalence of underweight (body mass index < 18.5 kg/m²) was 3.1% in men and 6.3% in women. Overall, a U-shaped relationship was established between the prevalence of underweight by gender and age. There was no significant difference in socioeconomic factors related to the prevalence of underweight in men and women in their twenties. The prevalence of underweight in women aged 20–59 years showed an increasing trend (P for trends < 0.05).CONCLUSION: In individuals aged 20–29 years, the prevalence of being underweight was higher in women than in men. Recently, there has been an increasing trend in the prevalence of underweight young women of reproductive age. This requires national public health attention.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mortality ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; Social Class ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Thinness

Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and chemoinfusion (TACI) are the methods used increasingly in hepatocelluar carcinoma patients. In this study, the incidence of fever and infectious complications after TACE or TACI in patients with hepatocelluar carcinoma was investigated and clinical parameters predicting such complications were evaluated. Methods: Prospective surveys were done in hepatocelluar carcinoma patients who had undergone TACE or TACI from June to August, 1997. Three hundred three treatment cases with TACE (200) or TACI (103) in 284 patients were analyzed. The postembolization syndrome was defined as fever following TACE or TACI that spontaneously subsided without the evidence of infections or extrahepatic embolizations. Results: One hundred eight (35.6%) out of 303 cases showed fever after the treatment. Regarding the etiology of the fever, infections occurred in 7 cases (2.3%) and ischemic cholecystitis existed in 5 cases (1.7%). In one case the cause was not clear and 95 cases (31.4%) were classified as the postembolization syndrome. Out of the cases with infections, three had culture-negative neutrocytic ascites, two spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (one was accompanied with sepsis), one septic shock, and one urinary tract infection. The postembolization syndrome was more frequently found in the cases with ascites (odds ratio [OR], 2.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-5.75), with larger tumor (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.06-1.24) and with embolization of both hepatic arteries (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.00-3.28). In the cases with infections, many satisfied the criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS, P<0.05) or had abdominal pain 72 hours later (P<0.01) after the treatment. However, no other laboratory data predicted infection among the cases with fever. Conclusion: After TACE or TACI in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, 31.4% of cases showed the postembolization syndrome and 2.3% of cases showed infection. Infection should be considered as a cause of fever in patients satisfying the criteria for SIRS or with abdominal pain 72 hours later after the treatment.
Abdominal Pain ; Ascites ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cholecystitis ; Fever* ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Incidence ; Peritonitis ; Prospective Studies* ; Shock, Septic ; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome ; Urinary Tract Infections