A 71-year-old male initially presented with vocal cord palsy and underwent tracheostomy. After thorough examination, urogenital dysfunction, orthostatic hypotension, and Parkinsonism were found, which led to the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA). After the tracheostomy, bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation was required during the night due to nocturnal hypoxemia. Night-time hypoxemia is related to central sleep apnea, which is one of the manifestations of MSA. This is the first case of MSA manifested by bilateral vocal cord palsy as an initial sign in Korea. This case supports the notion that MSA should be taken into consideration when vocal cord paralysis is observed.
Aged ; Airway Obstruction ; Anoxia ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; Korea ; Male ; Multiple System Atrophy* ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Sleep Apnea, Central ; Tracheostomy ; Ventilation ; Vocal Cord Paralysis*

Objectives: ：To describe the differences in long-term outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients according to initial dementia severity. Methods: ：A retrospective chart review of AD patients from a dementia clinic at the University Hospital in Korea was conducted from April 2010 to March 2017. There were 168 patients enrolled, who were divided into three groups based on initial Clinical Dementing Rating (CDR). There were 55 in the very mild group (CDR=0.5 ; mean age 80.64±6.57), 93 in the mild group (CDR=1 ; mean age 80.57±7.28) and 20 in the moderate group (CDR=2 ; mean age 83.00±9.07). Participants were treated with donepezil±memantine. The observation period was 2.44±0.50 years. Cognitive function and severity of dementia were initially assessed by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (CERAD-NP) and were annually assessed by Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), CDR and CDR-Sum of boxes (CDR-SB). Results: ：The annual decline rate of MMSE score was -0.82 and those of very mild, mild, moderate groups were -0.63, -0.80, -1.96 respectively, while the annual change in CDR-SB score was 0.98, very mild group 0.86, mild group 1.03, moderate group 1.26. Education level, male, initial CDR were found to be significant potential factors in the annual change in MMSE, while initial CDR was a significant potential factor in the annual change in CDR-SB. Conclusion ：It is meaningful that we studied long-term outcomes of anti-dementia medications in real-world clinical setting. The higher the initial severity of AD, the higher the cognitive decline rate.

Food is an essential component of good health and a high quality of life. This is especially true for the elderly, where health and quality of life can vary due to eating issues. This study attempts to measure the satisfaction with food-related life in the elderly of South Korea, while examining differences in social support, depression, isolation, and life satisfaction based on the level of satisfaction with food-related life. Data collection was conducted using one-on-one surveys from December 2011 to January 2012. A total of 390 elderly (aged 65 and over) who live in Korea participated in this study. The results showed that the satisfaction with food-related life was high (3.52 out of 5). The elderly who had company during a meal or a meal preparer showed a higher satisfaction with their food-related life. Social support was high (5.32 out of 7) and the feelings of isolation were low (3.85 out of 5). The average satisfaction with life was 4.42 out of 7, indicating a fair satisfaction with life, while the average depression score was relatively low (8.77 out of 26). In general, the elderly with a higher satisfaction with food-related life had a higher social support and overall satisfaction with their life. On the other hand, the elderly with a lower satisfaction with food-related life generally reported higher levels of depression and isolation. A positive correlation was observed between satisfaction with food-related life, social support, and satisfaction of life, while a negative correlation was found between satisfaction with food-related life, isolation, and depression. The results of this study indicate that managing the satisfaction with food-related life is an important component of mental health in the elderly.
Aged ; Data Collection ; Depression ; Eating ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Meals ; Mental Health ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Social Isolation

No abstract available.
Aged, 80 and over ; Antitubercular Agents/*therapeutic use ; Eyelid Diseases/drug therapy/*physiopathology ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Tuberculosis, Ocular/drug therapy/*physiopathology

PURPOSE: This study was conducted in order to analyze the dietary habits and food intake status according to the prevalence of depression in adults. METHODS: A total of 496 subjects, 224 men and 272 women aged 50 to 100 years were recruited from more than 13 cities in Korea. The questionnaires consisted of general characteristics, dietary life status, food intakes, the mean mini dietary assessment and satisfaction with food-related life questionnaire of the subjects to ask according to the degree of depression. Depression status was evaluated according to the Korean form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (K-GDS). RESULTS: All subjects were divided into depression or normal groups; the prevalence of depression was 13.8% (male) and 23.9% (female). People aged 65 or older were more likely to have higher prevalence of depression and to be bereaved. People in the depression group had poor appetite, almost never dined-out, and ate alone. The food intake of miscellaneous cereals, beans, tofu, chicken/duck meat, cabbage, carrot/amber, fungi, apple, pear, strawberry, grapes, and banana was significantly higher in the normal group compared with the depression group. In particular, significantly higher intake of vegetables and fruits was observed in the normal group. In addition, subjects in the depression group ate more fatty meat and were more dissatisfied with food-related life than those in the normal group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study imply that the prevalence of depression may affect the dietary habits, food intake, and dietary behaviors in the older adult population.
Adult* ; Appetite ; Brassica ; Edible Grain ; Depression* ; Eating ; Fabaceae ; Female ; Food Habits* ; Fragaria ; Fruit ; Fungi ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Meat ; Musa ; Prevalence ; Pyrus ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Soy Foods ; Vegetables ; Vitis

Quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been reported to be significantly associated with Behçet's disease (BD). However, no reports have described HPV infection as a possible cause for the development of BD. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether anti-HPV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titer is increased in BD. Serum samples from 93 Korean BD patients, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of the International Study Group for BD, were used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The clinical activity of BD was evaluated at the time of blood sampling. HPV-16 L1 virus-like particle (VLP) antigen was used in this study for the ELISA. Patients with BD had significantly higher antibody titers against HPV-16 (optical density [OD], 0.210–3.675; mean 0.992) than that of healthy controls (OD, 0.248–0.762; mean 0.517; P < 0.001). Using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, a cut-off value of 0.578 OD for the anti-HPV antibody titer was determined that differentiated BD patients from healthy controls. When we compared the clinical features of BD between the 2 groups, articular involvement of BD was more likely in patients with an anti-HPV-16 antibody titer < 0.578 OD (P = 0.035). In addition, patients with an anti-HPV-16 antibody titer < 0.578 were significantly younger than those with a titer ≥ 0.578 OD. HPV itself may be a possible extrinsic triggering infectious agent causing the development of BD.

PURPOSE: To analyze the treatment and prognosis of patients from our tertiary medical center with ocular and orbital involvement of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis that visited our single tertiary referral center from July 2008 to September 2014 was performed. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis visited our center, and 21 of those patients had received an ophthalmologic examination. Of these, 9 patients (4 males, 5 females) had symptoms of the eye and orbit, and the clinical presentations were as follows: episcleritis, scleritis, marginal keratitis, orbital inflammation, orbital abscess, retinal vasculitis, and nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The patients each received treatments according to clinical presentation with topical, oral, or intravenous steroids or immunomodulatory agents such as cyclophosphamide. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction was treated with surgery in some cases. After an average follow-up period of 58 ± 30 months, all patients showed clinical improvement of their ocular and orbital involvement of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. CONCLUSIONS: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a relatively rare disease that sometimes has ocular or orbital involvement and can lead to blindness. Therefore, when ocular symptoms and signs present without a definitive cause, granulomatosis with polyangiitis must be ruled out, and appropriate treatment is needed. However, there are few published reports on the clinical presentation and prognosis of ocular and orbital involvement of granulomatosis with polyangiitis in Asians. This study showed that the incidence of ocular and orbital involvement in granulomatosis with polyangiitis was lower than previous reports.
Abscess ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blindness ; Cyclophosphamide ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Keratitis ; Male ; Medical Records ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Orbit ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Retrospective Studies* ; Scleritis ; Steroids ; Tertiary Care Centers

PURPOSE: To analyze the treatment and prognosis of patients from our tertiary medical center with ocular and orbital involvement of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis that visited our single tertiary referral center from July 2008 to September 2014 was performed. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis visited our center, and 21 of those patients had received an ophthalmologic examination. Of these, 9 patients (4 males, 5 females) had symptoms of the eye and orbit, and the clinical presentations were as follows: episcleritis, scleritis, marginal keratitis, orbital inflammation, orbital abscess, retinal vasculitis, and nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The patients each received treatments according to clinical presentation with topical, oral, or intravenous steroids or immunomodulatory agents such as cyclophosphamide. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction was treated with surgery in some cases. After an average follow-up period of 58 ± 30 months, all patients showed clinical improvement of their ocular and orbital involvement of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. CONCLUSIONS: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a relatively rare disease that sometimes has ocular or orbital involvement and can lead to blindness. Therefore, when ocular symptoms and signs present without a definitive cause, granulomatosis with polyangiitis must be ruled out, and appropriate treatment is needed. However, there are few published reports on the clinical presentation and prognosis of ocular and orbital involvement of granulomatosis with polyangiitis in Asians. This study showed that the incidence of ocular and orbital involvement in granulomatosis with polyangiitis was lower than previous reports.
Abscess ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blindness ; Cyclophosphamide ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Keratitis ; Male ; Medical Records ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Orbit ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Retrospective Studies* ; Scleritis ; Steroids ; Tertiary Care Centers

The present study was performed to evaluate dietary behavior, food intake, and satisfaction with food-related life regarding the elderly residing in different regions of Korea. The survey was conducted on 631 individuals over 55 years old in either urban or rural areas. The survey was carried out using a questionnaire including dietary behavior, mini dietary assessment, and a food frequency questionnaire. The average age of the rural elderly was higher than that of the urban elderly whereas, education level and economic status were higher in the urban elderly compared to the rural elderly. The intake of dairy products, meats, instant foods, snacks, and the use of nutrient supplementation were significantly higher in the urban elderly than those of the rural elderly (p = 0.000). The intake of vegetables was significantly higher in the rural elderly (p = 0000). Furthermore, the rural elderly were more satisfied with food-related life and had better balanced diets than those of the urban elderly. Taken together, the results of this study revealed that customized nutritional management and education for adequate meals in different regions should be developed and provided in order to improve the quality of healthy living for the elderly.
Aged ; Dairy Products ; Diet ; Eating ; Humans ; Korea ; Meals ; Meat ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Snacks ; Vegetables

Intradialytic hypotension during dialysis adversely affects a patient's prognosis and increases mortality. We report a case in which intradialytic hypotension that persisted after the administration of midodrine was relieved after the use of fludrocortisone. Administration of 0.2 mg of fludrocortisone occurred 30 minutes before dialysis. We compared 45 sessions of dialysis without fludrocortisone administration and 45 sessions of dialysis with fludrocortisone administration in one patient. The number of times in which systolic blood pressure became lower than 80 mmHg and the number of early terminations of dialysis due to a decrease in systolic blood pressure were higher in the sessions without fludrocortisone administration than in the sessions with fludrocortisone administration (P < 0.05). Fludrocortisone may be helpful for the treatment of intradialytic hypotension that does not respond to midodrine administration.
Blood Pressure ; Dialysis ; Fludrocortisone* ; Humans ; Hypotension* ; Midodrine ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Renal Dialysis