OBJECTIVES: Individuals with disabilities are at greater risk of hospitalization than the general population. We examined 10-year trends in potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH) in Korea, comparing individuals with and without disabilities and assessing age-specific patterns. METHODS: Using National Health Information Database claims data (2010–2019), we established a fixed cohort of newly registered individuals with disabilities and control subjects statistically matched (1:1.5) at baseline. Annual PPH rates among patients with each condition were calculated and age- and sex-standardized according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Health Care Quality Indicators definitions. Trends and annual percent changes (APCs) were analyzed by disability status and age group (non-older: 30–64; older adults: ≥65 years). RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2019, PPH rates declined significantly in both groups. Among individuals with disabilities, the steepest decline was observed for hypertension (APC, −15.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], −17.7 to −13.7), whereas congestive heart failure showed the largest reduction among individuals without disabilities (APC, −7.8%; 95% CI, −10.8 to −4.7). Declines were generally greater among non-older adults aged 30–64 years, regardless of disability status. The disparity between disability and non-disability groups narrowed over the decade, primarily due to larger improvements among non-older adults. Older adults with disabilities consistently exhibited the highest PPH rates for most conditions, whereas younger individuals with disabilities had the highest rates for diabetes. CONCLUSIONS PPH rates declined over the decade among both individuals with and without disabilities, particularly for hypertension and among non-older adults. However, older adults with disabilities remain at elevated risk, underscoring the need for targeted strategies to improve access to community-based primary care.

Anterior knee pain (AKP) syndrome is one of the most common conditions that prompt active young individuals to seek evaluation at sports injury clinics. Compared to the general population, patients with AKP appear to be at a higher risk of developing patellofemoral osteoarthritis. AKP can be detrimental to the affected patient’s quality of life and, in the larger context, it could markedly burden the economy with high healthcare costs. This opinion aims to present a comprehensive evaluation of AKP to improve its management in clinical practice.Current Concepts: AKP has a multifactorial etiology. It can be attributed not only to structures within and around the knee but also to external factors, such as limb malalignment, weakness of specific hip muscle groups, and core and ligamentous laxity. Hence, AKP warrants a detailed evaluation of patient’s medical history and a thorough clinical examination complemented by relevant radiological investigations to identify its origin in the knee and the underlying cause. Conservative management yields favorable outcomes in the majority of patients with AKP, whereas surgical management becomes necessary only when well-characterized structural abnormalities of the knee or limb correlate with the clinical presentation of AKP or when conservative measures fail to provide substantial and sustained symptoms relief.Discussion and Conclusion: The treatment strategy for AKP should be individualized based on the patient’s profile and the specific cause identified. Therefore, the management of AKP requires a focused evaluation of the patient’s medical history, clinical examination, and radiological investigations to identify the condition’s origin and underlying cause.

Objective: In this study, we compared differences based on the gender of Korean emergency physicians to provide basic data for future emergency medicine development plans. Methods: We used data from the emergency physician survey (2020) conducted by the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine. A total of 1,303 emergency physicians responded to the survey. We adjusted demographic data relating to age, position, and work duration as an emergency physician, which could affect the differences based on gender. After propensity score matching, we compared working hours, work burden, income, motives for applying for emergency medicine, and future plans of the emergency physicians by sex. Results: The total working hours per month and night shifts per month were higher in men compared to the women. The women felt more pressure in the following areas: number of emergency patients, relationships with administrative agencies, insufficient emergency medical technician manpower, patients’ compliance, and relationships with other emergency physicians. Monthly income was higher in men. Women placed a higher value on ‘Acquiring a range of knowledge’ and ‘Degree of interest in working in the emergency room’ than men as motivation for applying for positions in emergency medicine. Regarding future plans, women placed less value on income and more on having enough free time and avoiding burnout. The retirement age was about 3 years lower for women than for men. Conclusion This study revealed gender differences in working hours, income, motivation for applying for emergency medicine, work burden, and future plans. It is expected that these differences are caused by physical limitations and socio-cultural backgrounds. It is recommended that more detailed investigations be carried out through qualitative research. These results could help in gender considerations while hiring emergency physicians.

PURPOSE: Thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy affecting the endocrine glands. The incidence of his malady has conspicuously increased during the recent years. Thyroid diseases affect women approximately 3 times more often than men, and this incidence decreases after menopause. This gender difference has suggested that the female sex steroids stimulate the growth of the thyroid, the same as for the breast. In the present study, we investigated the expressions of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in thyroid lesions. METHODS: The tissues from 193 human thyroid glands (136 thyroid cancers and 57 adenomatous hyperplasias) were used for the present immunohistochemical assessment of the ER and PR expressions. RESULTS: The incidences of the estrogen and progesterone receptor positive cases were 19.7 and 41.5%, respectively. The incidence of the progesterone receptor positive cases was higher for females (46.5%) than for males (19.4%) however, the expression of estrogen receptor was not different significantly between the females and males. Higher expressions of estrogen and progesterone receptors were detected in the thyroid cancers than in the adenomatous hyperplasias. The PR expression seemed to correlate with the tumor size: a higher PR expression was found in the T3 cancers than in the T2 cancers. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide new insight that the ER and PR expressions may be related to the pathogenesis and progression of thyroid cancer.
Breast ; Endocrine Glands ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Male ; Menopause ; Progesterone* ; Receptors, Progesterone* ; Steroids ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule*

Sclerosing ecapsulating peritonitis (SEP) first described by Gandhi and Humyn at 1980 is generally recognized, but uncommon complication of continous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and the prognosis is very poor. A 62-year old female was admitted to our hospital with chief complaint of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting. On physical examination, abdominal pain was not detected. Abdominal CT demonstrated paralytic ileus and adhesion in proximal ileum. She underwent adhesilolysis of ileum and repair of perforated ileum. We experienced one case of SEP presenting small bowel perforation and peritonitis in patient with IPD. We report this case with review of the literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Female ; Humans ; Ileum ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Peritoneal Dialysis* ; Peritonitis* ; Physical Examination ; Prognosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: Research of clinical contents and proper development of education program is essential in family medicine. Therefore, this study is carried out to obtain data for residency training, and to provide references to family physicians who give primary health care in rural community by analyzing prospectively the clinical contents of new patients in a local family practice clinic. METHODS: The authors visited family practice clinic in a rural area practiced by a family physician board certified in family medicine. There were 3,126 new patients from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 1996 evenly distributed by month and area, 1,000 patients were sampled randomly and the collected data were classified according to the ICPC(International Classification of Primary Care) coding system. RESULTS: Among the selected 1,000 patients, males were 432(43.2%) and females were 568(56.8%). Age distribution was highest In the fifties(50-59 years old) (20.7%). The total number of Reason For Encounter(RFE) was 1,417, the average RFE was 1.41 per patient and the kind of RFEs was 93, among which cough was the most frequent RFE by 233 cases(16.4% ). The 87 kinds of diagnoses were used and URl(Upper Respiratory Infection) accounted for the major portion by 287 cases(21.9%). The diagnostic examination per patient was 0.42. The most frequently used test was x-ray of an extremity by 68 cases(16.1% ). Referrals to other departments were made in 3.3% of visitors of which Internal Medicine was highest(39.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical contents were classified more comprehensively by using ICPC with given code RFE, care process, and diagnosis. More study on ICPC is necessary for classification to help analyze clinical contents in primary care.
Age Distribution ; Classification ; Clinical Coding ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Extremities ; Family Practice* ; Female ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Internship and Residency ; Male ; Physicians, Family ; Primary Health Care ; Prospective Studies ; Referral and Consultation ; Rural Population