Purpose: This narrative review elucidates the complex pathogenesis, key risk factors, and effective management strategies for postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) following distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, a definitive procedure for middle and lower gastric cancer. It also explores opportunities for improved prevention and innovative treatment options. Current concept: DGE significantly disrupts gastric motility and presents with symptoms such as early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, and gastric atony. Although rarely fatal, DGE hampers oral intake, prolongs hospital stays, and diminishes quality of life. Current evidence indicates that DGE is a multifactorial disorder resulting from an interplay of vagal nerve disruption, damage to smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal, imbalances in gastrointestinal hormones, and postoperative gut microbiome dysbiosis. Patient-specific factors, including advanced age, poor nutritional status, diabetes, and preoperative pyloric obstruction, along with surgical factors (most notably Billroth II reconstruction), further increase the risk of DGE. Management involves dietary modifications, prokinetic agents (such as metoclopramide and selective 5-HT4 agonists like prucalopride), and gastric decompression. Conclusion DGE is a challenging complication following gastrectomy that demands a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. Emerging therapies, including microbiota modulation and advanced pharmacological agents, offer promising new treatment avenues.

Purpose: This narrative review elucidates the complex pathogenesis, key risk factors, and effective management strategies for postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) following distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, a definitive procedure for middle and lower gastric cancer. It also explores opportunities for improved prevention and innovative treatment options. Current concept: DGE significantly disrupts gastric motility and presents with symptoms such as early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, and gastric atony. Although rarely fatal, DGE hampers oral intake, prolongs hospital stays, and diminishes quality of life. Current evidence indicates that DGE is a multifactorial disorder resulting from an interplay of vagal nerve disruption, damage to smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal, imbalances in gastrointestinal hormones, and postoperative gut microbiome dysbiosis. Patient-specific factors, including advanced age, poor nutritional status, diabetes, and preoperative pyloric obstruction, along with surgical factors (most notably Billroth II reconstruction), further increase the risk of DGE. Management involves dietary modifications, prokinetic agents (such as metoclopramide and selective 5-HT4 agonists like prucalopride), and gastric decompression. Conclusion DGE is a challenging complication following gastrectomy that demands a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. Emerging therapies, including microbiota modulation and advanced pharmacological agents, offer promising new treatment avenues.

Purpose: This narrative review elucidates the complex pathogenesis, key risk factors, and effective management strategies for postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) following distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, a definitive procedure for middle and lower gastric cancer. It also explores opportunities for improved prevention and innovative treatment options. Current concept: DGE significantly disrupts gastric motility and presents with symptoms such as early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, and gastric atony. Although rarely fatal, DGE hampers oral intake, prolongs hospital stays, and diminishes quality of life. Current evidence indicates that DGE is a multifactorial disorder resulting from an interplay of vagal nerve disruption, damage to smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal, imbalances in gastrointestinal hormones, and postoperative gut microbiome dysbiosis. Patient-specific factors, including advanced age, poor nutritional status, diabetes, and preoperative pyloric obstruction, along with surgical factors (most notably Billroth II reconstruction), further increase the risk of DGE. Management involves dietary modifications, prokinetic agents (such as metoclopramide and selective 5-HT4 agonists like prucalopride), and gastric decompression. Conclusion DGE is a challenging complication following gastrectomy that demands a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. Emerging therapies, including microbiota modulation and advanced pharmacological agents, offer promising new treatment avenues.

Purpose: This narrative review elucidates the complex pathogenesis, key risk factors, and effective management strategies for postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) following distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, a definitive procedure for middle and lower gastric cancer. It also explores opportunities for improved prevention and innovative treatment options. Current concept: DGE significantly disrupts gastric motility and presents with symptoms such as early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, and gastric atony. Although rarely fatal, DGE hampers oral intake, prolongs hospital stays, and diminishes quality of life. Current evidence indicates that DGE is a multifactorial disorder resulting from an interplay of vagal nerve disruption, damage to smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal, imbalances in gastrointestinal hormones, and postoperative gut microbiome dysbiosis. Patient-specific factors, including advanced age, poor nutritional status, diabetes, and preoperative pyloric obstruction, along with surgical factors (most notably Billroth II reconstruction), further increase the risk of DGE. Management involves dietary modifications, prokinetic agents (such as metoclopramide and selective 5-HT4 agonists like prucalopride), and gastric decompression. Conclusion DGE is a challenging complication following gastrectomy that demands a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. Emerging therapies, including microbiota modulation and advanced pharmacological agents, offer promising new treatment avenues.

Purpose: This narrative review elucidates the complex pathogenesis, key risk factors, and effective management strategies for postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) following distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, a definitive procedure for middle and lower gastric cancer. It also explores opportunities for improved prevention and innovative treatment options. Current concept: DGE significantly disrupts gastric motility and presents with symptoms such as early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, and gastric atony. Although rarely fatal, DGE hampers oral intake, prolongs hospital stays, and diminishes quality of life. Current evidence indicates that DGE is a multifactorial disorder resulting from an interplay of vagal nerve disruption, damage to smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal, imbalances in gastrointestinal hormones, and postoperative gut microbiome dysbiosis. Patient-specific factors, including advanced age, poor nutritional status, diabetes, and preoperative pyloric obstruction, along with surgical factors (most notably Billroth II reconstruction), further increase the risk of DGE. Management involves dietary modifications, prokinetic agents (such as metoclopramide and selective 5-HT4 agonists like prucalopride), and gastric decompression. Conclusion DGE is a challenging complication following gastrectomy that demands a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. Emerging therapies, including microbiota modulation and advanced pharmacological agents, offer promising new treatment avenues.

To develop a clinical practice guideline for vaccination in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIIRD), the Korean College of Rheumatology and theKorean Society of Infectious Diseases developed a clinical practice guideline according to the clinical practice guideline development manual. Since vaccination is unlikely to cause AIIRD or worsen disease activities, required vaccinations are recommended. Once patients are diagnosed with AIIRD, treatment strategies should be established and, at the same time, monitor their vaccination history. It is recommended to administer vaccines when the disease enters the stabilized stage. Administering live attenuated vaccines in patients with AIIRD who are taking immunosuppressants should be avoided. Vaccination should be considered in patients with AIIRD, prior to initiating immunosuppressants. It is recommended to administer influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster, measlesmumps- rubella virus, human papillomavirus, and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccines in patients with AIIRD; such patients who planned to travel are generally recommended to be vaccinated at the recommended vaccine level of healthy adults. Those who live in a household with patients with AIIRD and their caregivers should also be vaccinated at levels that are generally recommended for healthy adults.

To develop a clinical practice guideline for vaccination in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIIRD), the Korean College of Rheumatology and the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases developed a clinical practice guideline according to the clinical practice guideline development manual. Since vaccination is unlikely to cause AIIRD or worsen disease activities, required vaccinations are recommended. Once patients are diagnosed with AIIRD, treatment strategies should be established and, at the same time, monitor their vaccination history. It is recommended to administer vaccines when the disease enters the stabilized stage. Administering live attenuated vaccines in patients with AIIRD who are taking immunosuppressants should be avoided. Vaccination should be considered in patients with AIIRD, prior to initiating immunosuppressants. It is recommended to administer influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster, measles-mumps-rubella virus, human papillomavirus, and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccines in patients with AIIRD; such patients who planned to travel are generally recommended to be vaccinated at the recommended vaccine level of healthy adults. Those who live in a household with patients with AIIRD and their caregivers should also be vaccinated at levels that are generally recommended for healthy adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Most thyroid cancers progress slowly, have high survival rates, and have good prognosis. Therefore, the management of patients with thyroid cancer should be viewed from a long-term perspective, taking into account a return to normal social life. Cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment than the general population, and so unemployment can be an economic problem for thyroid cancer patients. However, there have been few studies on factors affecting return to work in thyroid cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate occupational changes and the period of leave of absence for patients with thyroid cancer and to identify factors that affect the return to work after surgery.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 427 questionnaires of thyroid cancer patients were used for the analysis. The occupational changes and sick leave periods were analyzed according to general characteristics, disease-related characteristics, and side effects.RESULTS: The factors related to occupational change and leave of absence in thyroid cancer patients were sex and type of occupation. Women had more occupational changes and longer leave of absence than men, office workers had the least change in occupation, and professional workers had a longer period of sick leave. Fatigue was the primary side effect that affected the leave of absence.CONCLUSION: Occupation is very important in the life of a thyroid cancer patient. Informing the patient of possible complications and planning proper leave of absence will help the patient return to work and improve the quality of life.
Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Occupations ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Return to Work ; Sick Leave ; Survival Rate ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Unemployment

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major contributor to the global disease burden of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine demographic and clinical factors associated with adherence to antihypertensive medication. METHODS: From August 2012 to February 2015, we recruited 1,523 Korean patients with hypertension who visited family physicians. The study was conducted in 24 facilities located in urban and metropolitan areas. Of these facilities, two were primary care clinics and 22 were level 2 or 3 hospitals. Adherence was assessed using the pill count method; a cut-off value of 80% was used as the criterion for good adherence. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were compared between the adherent and nonadherent groups using the chi-square test for categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed with medication adherence as the outcome variable. RESULTS: Of the 1,523 patients, 1,245 (81.7%) showed good adherence to antihypertensive medication. In the multivariate logistic analysis, age ≥65 years, exercise, treatment in a metropolitan-located hospital, being on ≥2 classes of antihypertensive medication and concomitant medication for diabetes, and a family history of hypertension or cardiovascular diseases were associated with good adherence. Patients who had a habit of high salt intake were less adherent to medication. CONCLUSION: Multiple classes of antihypertensive medications, concomitant medication, and exercise were associated with good adherence to antihypertensive medication, and high salt intake was associated with poor adherence to antihypertensive medication. These factors should be considered to improve hypertension control.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Life Style ; Logistic Models ; Medication Adherence ; Methods ; Patient Compliance ; Physicians, Family ; Primary Health Care

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To prevent getting wrong information and improve high quality of life, it is necessary to provide accurate information and patient education. This study aimed to collect basic data and develop educational program for thyroid cancer patient by understanding their educational needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between April 16 and June 15, 2012, 159 patients who underwent thyroid cancer surgery were enrolled. This survey consisted of 5 areas including management of the symptom and the complication after surgery, postoperative wound and dietary management, treatment plan after discharge, medication management, and daily life. RESULTS: The most common way for the patients to acquire information about the disease was Internet and the patients who used INTERNET as their information source were 54.7%. Doctors (76.1%) and nurses (21.4%) were the preferred educators for the patients, and small group education was the preferred education method. Specifically the need for "management of the symptom and the complication after surgery" was the highest (3.33), followed by "treatment plan after discharge" (3.31), "medication management" (3.19), "postoperative wound and dietary management" (3.17). CONCLUSION: Medical team including doctors and nurses should be the center to activate small group education for patients. Professional and individualized education program should be developed to give the proper education to patients and their family.
Education ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Internet ; Methods ; Patient Education as Topic ; Quality of Life ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Wounds and Injuries