Objective: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been prolonged, the pre-hospital screening test performed in hospitals has changed from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to rapid antigen test (RAT). RAT has lower sensitivity than PCR, but a lower cost and shorter test time. In the hospital where this study was conducted, the preadmission COVID-19 test was changed from PCR to RAT on February 24, 2023. This study compared the efficacy of PCR and RAT as the pre-admission COVID-19 test. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study comparing two periods, 90 days from November 25, 2022 to February 23, 2023, and 90 days from February 28, 2023 to May 29, 2023. Patients hospitalized from the emergency medical center during these two periods were included. Binomial logistic regression was used to compare the emergency department length of stay (ED LOS) between the two groups (PCR vs. RAT). Logistic regression was used to compare the mortality. Results: Four thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight patients were admitted through the emergency room: 2,202 patients in the PCR group and 2,443 patients in the RAT group. No statistically significant differences in the characteristics and severity were observed between the two groups. The mean ED LOS of PCR 5.07 hours (interquartile range, 3.80-6.75) was longer than RAT 3.65 hours (interquartile range, 2.83-4.68) (P<0.001). Mortality was higher in PCR 8.9% than RAT 6.6% (P=0.005). Conclusion The study showed that ED LOS and mortality were reduced when using RAT rather than PCR as a preadmission COVID-19 test.

Objective: Primary frozen shoulder causes significant pain and progressively restricts shoulder movements. Diagnosis is made clinically based on patient history and physical examination. Management is mainly non-invasive owing to its self-limiting clinical course. However, clinical practice guidelines for frozen shoulder have not yet been developed in Korea. The developed guidelines aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of frozen shoulder. Methods: A guideline development committee reviewed the literature from four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and KMbase). Using the Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) framework, the committee formulated two backgrounds and 16 key questions to address common clinical concerns. Recommendations were made using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. Results: Diabetes, thyroid disease, and dyslipidemia significantly increase the risk of developing a frozen shoulder. Although frozen shoulder is often self-limiting, some patients may experience long-term functional disabilities. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging should be used as adjunctive tools alongside clinical diagnosis, and rather than as independent diagnostic methods. Noninvasive approaches, such as medications, physical modalities, exercises, electrical stimulation, and manual therapy, may reduce pain and improve shoulder function. Other noninvasive interventions have limited evidence, and their application should be based on clinical judgment. Intra-articular steroid injections are recommended for treatment, and physiotherapy or hydrodilation with steroid injections can also be beneficial. Conclusion These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and treating primary frozen shoulder.

Background: Korea recently established 70 emergency medical service areas. However, there are many concerns that medical resources for stroke could not be evenly distributed through the country. We aimed to compare the treatment quality and outcomes of acute stroke among the emergency medical service areas. Methods: This study analyzed the data of 28,800 patients admitted in 248 hospitals which participated in the 8th acute stroke quality assessment by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Individual hospitals were regrouped into emergency service areas according to the address of the location. Assessment indicators and fatality were compared by the service areas. We defined the appropriate hospital by the performance of intravenous thrombolysis. Results: In seven service areas, there were no hospitals which received more than 10 stroke patients for 6 months. In nine service areas, there were no patients who underwent intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). Among 167 designated emergency medical centers, 50 hospitals (29.9%) responded that IVT was impossible 24 hours a day. There are 97 (39.1%) hospitals that meet the definitions of appropriate hospital. In 23 service areas (32.9%) had no appropriate or feasible hospitals. The fatality of service areas with stroke centers were 6.9% within 30 days and 15.6% within 1 year from stroke onset than those without stroke centers (7.7%, 16.9%, respectively). Conclusions There was a wide regional gap in the medical resource and the quality of treatments for acute stroke among emergency medical service areas in Korea. The poststroke fatality rate of the service areas which have stroke centers or appropriate hospitals were significantly low.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is conflicting evidence for whether or not the incidence of stroke is influenced by the daily temperature. The association between daily temperature and incidence of stroke is largely unknown in Korea. This study attempted to evaluate whether the maximum or minimum daily temperature is associated with increased numbers of strokes and stroke subtypes among Seoul residents. METHODS: We obtained the maximum and minimum daily temperatures in Seoul from the Korean Meteorological Administration between January 2005 and December 2014. Consecutive patients with acute stroke were registered who visited the emergency room or outpatient clinic in Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul. The residential addresses of cases were restricted to within a 2-kilometer radius of this hospital. The stroke events were prospectively recorded with onset time, and were classified by subtypes. The categories of daily temperature were divided by 10℃ from the mean temperature. The mean daily number of strokes was calculated during the study period. One-way analysis of variance and Duncan's post-hoc test were applied to compare the number of strokes among the temperature groups. RESULTS: In total, 2,313 acute strokes were identified during the period: 1,643 ischemic strokes and 670 hemorrhagic strokes. The number of cases was significantly higher when the maximum daily temperature was >32℃ or ≤3℃ (p=0.048) or the minimum daily temperature was ≤-11.0℃ (p=0.020). The lowest maximum daily temperature was associated with increased instances of intracerebral hemorrhage (p=0.029) and small-vessel occlusion (p=0.013), while the highest maximum daily temperature was associated with an increased instance of large-artery atherosclerosis (p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: The daily temperature had measurable and different associations with the number of strokes and strokes subtypes in Seoul, Korea.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Atherosclerosis ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Prospective Studies ; Radius ; Seoul* ; Stroke*

We report a case of aortic dissection masquerading as acute ischemic stroke followed by intravenous thrombolysis. A 59-year-old man presented with dizziness. After examination, the patient had a seizure with bilateral Babinski signs. Soon after identifying multiple acute infarctions in both hemispheres on diffusion-weighted brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) was administered. Both common carotid arteries were invisible on MR angiography, and subsequent chest computed tomography revealed an aortic dissection. The emergency operation was delayed for 13 hours due to t-PA administration. The patient died of massive bleeding.
Angiography ; Brain ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Dizziness ; Emergencies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infarction ; Middle Aged ; Reflex, Babinski ; Seizures ; Stroke* ; Thorax ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between the side of motor symptoms and cognitive impairment has rarely been reported in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We aimed to estimate the influence of motor laterality on cognition in PD patients. METHODS: We enrolled 67 patients with PD, and they were divided into two groups according to side of symptom onset or predominant motor symptom presentation (right and left). Right-sided PD (RPD, 40) and left-sided PD (LPD, 27) patients underwent a neuropsychological battery exploring memory, attention/working memory, frontal/executive, visuospatial, and language functions. Student's t-test and Chi-square test have been carried out to compare the clinical and neuropsychological data between two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in any neuropsychological test between the RPD and LPD groups, except for digit forward span test. RPD patients scored lower on the digit forward span test than LPD patients (5.43±9.49 vs. 6.15±1.38, p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: RPD patients seem to experience more difficulties in attention and working memory than did LPD patients. The laterality of motor symptoms is not a major determinant for cognitive impairment in PD patients but, we should consider differences of cognitive deficits depending on the side of motor symptoms to treat patients with PD.
Cognition ; Cognition Disorders* ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Parkinson Disease*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To prevent hypocalcemia after parathyroidectomy (PTX), parenteral calcium is required in addition to oral calcitriol and calcium. After switching to oral calcium, patients can be discharged from the hospital. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of PTX performed at a single Korean center and to investigate the associated laboratory factors used to analyze the total amount of postoperative calcium required. METHODS: We enrolled 91 hemodialysis patients undergoing PTX from November 2003 to December 2011. We collected clinical and laboratory data preoperatively, 12 and 48 hours postoperatively, at discharge, and 3 and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: In total, 59 patients underwent PTX with autotransplantation (AT), 6 underwent total PTX without AT, 11 underwent subtotal PTX, and 15 underwent limited PTX. Total PTX without AT showed the lowest recurrence rate. At all postoperative time points, the mean levels of serum calcium, phosphorus, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) decreased significantly, compared with preoperative levels; however, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increased significantly from 48 hours postoperatively to discharge (p < 0.001). On multiple linear regression analysis, the total amount of injected calcium during hospitalization showed a significant correlation with preoperative ALP (p < 0.001), preoperative iPTH (p = 0.037), and Deltaphosphorus at 48 hours (p < 0.001). We developed an equation for estimating the total calcium requirement after PTX. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative ALP, preoperative iPTH, and Deltaphosphorus at 48 hours may be significant factors in estimating the postoperative calcium requirement. The formula for postoperative calcium requirement after PTX may help to predict the duration of postoperative hospitalization.
Administration, Intravenous ; Administration, Oral ; Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers/blood ; Calcium/blood ; Calcium Carbonate/*administration & dosage ; Calcium Compounds/*administration & dosage ; Calcium Gluconate/*administration & dosage ; *Decision Support Techniques ; *Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary/blood/diagnosis/*surgery ; Hypocalcemia/diagnosis/etiology/*prevention & control ; Lactates/*administration & dosage ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Biological ; Multivariate Analysis ; Parathyroid Hormone/blood ; Parathyroidectomy/*adverse effects ; Phosphorus/blood ; Recurrence ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) shares common clinical features with Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE). The 14-3-3 protein is a relatively sensitive and specific marker of CJD but is not commonly detected in HE. We report the case of a patient with HE with unusual features including positive 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and an atypical course mimicking that of CJD. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old male was admitted due to acute-onset cognitive dysfunction. HE was suspected based on increased titers of anti-thyroid microsomal antibody and an excellent response to steroid. However, 14-3-3 protein was detected in the CSF and a recurrent attack with progressive cognitive decline, pyramidal symptoms and myoclonus mimicking CJD occurred. Cognitive dysfunction showed progressive worsening and the response to steroid treatment was decreased. CONCLUSIONS: 14-3-3 protein could be considered a general marker of neuronal destruction and not specific to CJD. The clinical manifestations of HE are variable and its diagnosis is difficult due to the lack of a specific phenotype and reliable diagnostic criteria. We recommend that patients with clinical features of CJD and antithyroid antibodies should be considered for empirical steroid treatment for HE, despite a positive result for 14-3-3 protein.
14-3-3 Proteins* ; Antibodies ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myoclonus ; Neurons ; Phenotype

Maxillary enlargement is a rare complication of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). A 35-year-old Korean man undergoing chronic hemodialysis presented with a painless enlargement involving the maxilla and mandible. Plain radiography and CT scan showed bony expansion at the maxilla and mandible with multiple radiolucency. Serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was >1,600 pg/mL. Tc-99m sestamibi (MIBI) parathyroid scan and neck sonogram were compatible with SHPT. He underwent limited parathyroidectomy and commenced a course of paricalcitol. Fifteen months after surgery, maxillary enlargement and bony resorptions involving both hands markedly improved. Thirty-six months after the surgery, the serum iPTH level was 109.3 pg/mL. This is the first report in Korea documenting a patient with maxillary enlargement in SHPT who was successfully treated with limited parathyroidectomy and paricalcitol.
Adult ; Ergocalciferols ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary ; Korea ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Neck ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Parathyroidectomy ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Osteodystrophy

The point prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) among Korean adults visiting the Health Service Center for health check-ups was assessed. AD was diagnosed based on the questionnaires filled by patients and through physical examination by dermatologists. A total of 3,563 persons completed the questionnaires, and 2,032 persons were examined by the dermatologists. According to the questionnaires, the prevalence of AD was 7.1%, and from the dermatologists' examination, it was 2.6% overall, which decreased with age significantly. The prevalence in men was higher than that of women. Grading the severity of AD according to their eczema area and severity index scores, 70.6% were classified as being mild, 25.5% moderate, and 3.9% severe. Interestingly, concomitance of psoriasis and AD was found in 0.5% of those examined by the dermatologists. Our results suggest that AD is one of the most common skin diseases not only in children but also in adults in Korea.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Dermatitis, Atopic/complications/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis/complications ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors