This report presents the latest statistics on the stroke population in South Korea, sourced from the Clinical Research Collaborations for Stroke in Korea-National Institute for Health (CRCS-K-NIH), a comprehensive, nationwide, multicenter stroke registry. The Korean cohort, unlike western populations, shows a male-to-female ratio of 1.5, attributed to lower risk factors in Korean women. The average ages for men and women are 67 and 73 years, respectively.Hypertension is the most common risk factor (67%), consistent with global trends, but there is a higher prevalence of diabetes (35%) and smoking (21%). The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (19%) is lower than in western populations, suggesting effective prevention strategies in the general population. A high incidence of large artery atherosclerosis (38%) is observed, likely due to prevalent intracranial arterial disease in East Asians and advanced imaging techniques.There has been a decrease in intravenous thrombolysis rates, from 12% in 2017–2019 to 10% in 2021, with no improvements in door-to-needle and door-to-puncture times, worsened by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. While the use of aspirin plus clopidogrel for noncardioembolic stroke and direct oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation is well-established, the application of direct oral anticoagulants for non-atrial fibrillation cardioembolic strokes in the acute phase requires further research. The incidence of early neurological deterioration (13%) and the cumulative incidence of recurrent stroke at 3 months (3%) align with global figures. Favorable outcomes at 3 months (63%) are comparable internationally, yet the lack of improvement in dependency at 3 months highlights the need for advancements in acute stroke care.

No abstract available.
Nevus, Blue* ; Prurigo*

No abstract available.
Nevus, Blue* ; Prurigo*

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, chronic inflammatory disease affecting multiple aspects of patients' lives. Its epidemiology varies regionally; however, nationwide epidemiologic data on psoriasis depicting profile of Korean patients has not been available to date. OBJECTIVE: To understand nationwide epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of adult patients with psoriasis visited university hospitals in Korea. METHODS: This multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study recruited 1,278 adult patients with psoriasis across 25 centers in Korea in 2013. Various clinical data including PASI, BSA, DLQI, SF-36 and PASE were collected. RESULTS: A total of 1,260 patients completed the study (male:female=1.47:1). The mean age was 47.0 years with a distribution mostly in the 50s (24.9%). Early onset (<40 years) of psoriasis accounted for 53.9% of patients. The mean disease duration was 109.2 months; mean body mass index was 23.9 kg/m²; and 12.7% of patients had a family history of psoriasis. Plaque and guttate types of psoriasis accounted for 85.8% and 8.4%, respectively. Patients with PASI ≥10 accounted for 24.9%; patients with body surface area ≥10 were 45.9%. Patients with DLQI ≥6 accounted for 78.8%. Between PASI <10 and PASI ≥10 groups, significant difference was noted in age at diagnosis, disease duration, blood pressure, waist circumference of female, and treatment experiences with phototherapy, systemic agents, and biologics. CONCLUSION: This was the first nationwide epidemiologic study of patients with psoriasis in Korea and provides an overview of the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical profiles of this patient population.
Adult ; Biological Products ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Body Surface Area ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea* ; Phototherapy ; Psoriasis* ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The one-day rivastigmine patch is reportedly well tolerated and has minimal side effects. However, Asian patients show more side effects than those in Western countries. We evaluated tolerability of the rivastigmine patch in South Korean patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the specific factors affecting adverse events of the skin. METHODS: A 6-month, open labeled, multi-centered, observational study was carried out in 440 patients with probable AD from July 2009 to September 2010 (NCT01312363). RESULTS: A total of 25.9% of the patients experienced adverse skin events at the rivastigmine patch application site and 17.0% discontinued treatment due to adverse events at the skin application site. The most common adverse events were itching and erythema. Patients with an allergic history and users of electric heating appliances reported skin discomfort. Older age was associated with discontinuing treatment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the rivastigmine patch induced some adverse skin events and may contribute to understanding and improving skin tolerability to the rivastigmine patch.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Erythema ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Observational Study ; Pruritus ; Skin* ; Rivastigmine

BACKBROUND AND PURPOSE: The flow diverting effect of a low-wall coverage stent remains controversial. We evaluted patients who underwent stenting for small aneurysms with a low but potential risk of growth and reviewed related literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 9 small aneurysms among 19 unruptured intracranial aneurysms from eight patients who underwent stenting. The patients had unexplainable severe headache (n = 8), aneurysm originating from the anterior choroidal artery (n = 3), potential growth or rupture risks including hypertension (n = 5), and multiple aneurysms (n = 6). Stents with a relatively low-wall coverage ratio (8-10%) were used. Clinical and angiographic outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: One (n = 8) or two stents (n = 1) were used without any procedural difficulties or complications. Although no immediate changes of aneurysm morphology were observed, aneurysms decreased in size (n = 8) when examined by DSA (n = 8) or MRA (n = 1) during a median 28.9-month follow-up. There were no adverse events, including thromboembolism, aneurysm rupture, or stent movement during a median 31.9-month clinical follow-up (range: 17-69 months). CONCLUSION: Although a variable degree of aneurysm size decrease may not prevent further growth or rupture of small aneurysms, stenting with a low-wall coverage ratio may have some advantageous hemodynamic effect. Flow modification of stent architecture vs. aneurysm characteristics, including size and location, on long-term outcome, requires further clarification.
Aneurysm* ; Arteries ; Choroid ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Rupture ; Stents* ; Thromboembolism

The Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS), a nation-wide clinical dementia research group, has prepared clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for dementia tailored to the Korean population. In this article, a summary of the CREDOS CPG is presented with the Korean and English version of full report included in the appendix. The CREDOS CPG in intended not only for psychiatrists and neurologists, but also internists, family physicians, and other primary care physicians involved in the prevention and early diagnosis of dementia. While our CPG for dementia mainly covers Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD), it also includes mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and vascular MCI, which are currently known to be the preclinical stages of AD or VaD, respectively, with emphasis placed on early diagnosis. The CREDOS CPG aims to achieve the following goals by developing CPG for dementia: to establish evidence-based, objective and clear clinical standards for dementia; to improve the clinical decision-making process for patients with dementia; to provide scientific and systematic scales to aid in the work of dementia specialists; to suggest comprehensive and systematic healthcare services tailored to each dementia subtype. The CREDOS CPG focuses on diagnosis and evaluation of clinical practice available domestically, and provides useful concepts of dementia. Its emphasis is on etiologies and epidemiology, diagnostic criteria and evaluation, neuropsychological tests, behavioral and psychological symptoms, the activities of daily living, laboratory tests, and brain imaging.
Activities of Daily Living ; Alzheimer Disease ; Appendix ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dementia ; Dementia, Vascular ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Neuroimaging ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Physicians, Family ; Physicians, Primary Care ; Psychiatry ; Republic of Korea ; Weights and Measures

With rapid population aging, the socioeconomic burden caused by dementia care is snowballing. Although a few community-based studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been performed in Korea, there has never been a nationwide hospital-based study thereof. We aimed to identify the demographics and clinical characteristics of mild-to-moderate AD patients from the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of Korea (CREDOS) registry. A total of 1,786 patients were consecutively included from September 2005 to June 2010. Each patient underwent comprehensive neurological examination, interview for caregivers, laboratory investigations, neuropsychological tests, and brain MRI. The mean age was 74.0 yr and the female percentage 67.0%. The mean period of education was 7.1 yr and the frequency of early-onset AD (< 65 yr old) was 18.8%. Among the vascular risk factors, hypertension (48.9%) and diabetes mellitus (22.3%) were the most frequent. The mean score of the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) was 19.2 and the mean sum of box scores of Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR-SB) 5.1. Based on the well-structured, nationwide, and hospital-based registry, this study provides the unique clinical characteristics of AD and emphasizes the importance of vascular factors in AD in Korea.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease/complications/*diagnosis ; Brain/radionuclide imaging ; Caregivers ; Dementia/diagnosis ; Demography ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/etiology ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Hypertension/etiology ; Interviews as Topic ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires ; *Registries ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has been widely used for treating critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Whether CRRT is better than intermittent hemodialysis for the treatment of AKI remains controversial. We sought to identify the clinical features that can predict survival for the patients who are treated with CRRT. METHODS: We analyzed the data of 125 patients who received CRRT between 2005 and 2007. We identified the demographic variables, the underlying diagnoses, the duration of CRRT, the mean arterial blood pressure (ABP) and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II. The classification/staging system for acute kidney injury (AKI) was applied to all the patients, who were then divided into stage 1-3 subgroups. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 61.414.3 years and the mortality rate was 60% (75 of 125 patients). The survivors had a significantly higher mean ABP and a higher mean serum bicarbonate level, which were measured the day after CRRT, than the nonsurvivors (86.723.7 vs. 69.224.6 mm Hg, respectively, 21.43.5 vs. 16.45.4 mmol/L, respectively,; p<0.05 for each). The stage 3 AKI patients showed the worst parameters for the SAPS II score and the serum levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. The mortality rate was higher for the stage 3 subgroup than the other groups (70.5%, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The patients with AKI and who require CRRT continue to have a high mortality rate. A higher mean ABP and a higher serum bicarbonate level measured the day after CRRT may predict a more favorable prognosis. The staging system for AKI can improve the ability to predict the outcomes of CRRT patients.
Critical Illness ; Female ; Hemodiafiltration ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Acute/mortality/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; *Renal Replacement Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.