No abstract available.
Child, Preschool* ; Female* ; Humans ; Nevus, Pigmented*

No abstract available.
Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; Nevus, Pigmented*

BACKGROUND: There is as yet no effective and safe treatment for vitiligo. One percent pimecrolimus cream, a topical calcineurin inhibitor, has been tried for the treatment of vitiligo, with its therapeutic efficacy having mostly been reported in non-segmental vitiligo. However, questions about the therapeutic efficacy of 1% pimecrolimus cream have remained unanswered regarding segmental vitiligo. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to study the therapeutic efficacy and safety of 1% pimecrolimus cream for segmental childhood vitiligo. METHODS: Nine childhood patients with segmental vitiligo were treated with 1% pimecrolimus cream twice daily for three months, after which good responders were scheduled to continue with the 1% pimecrolimus cream monotherapy. The efficacy and safety of this treatment were determined by the levels of repigmentation, initial response time and the presence of adverse events including burning, dryness, stinging and itching. RESULTS: Four of nine patients achieved mild to moderate responses after three months of treatment and thus continued with treatment. Among these four patients, three achieved an excellent response and one patient achieved a moderate response, with a mean treatment duration of 7.3 months. Transient local burning sensation was the most common adverse event. In comparison with the patients with poor response, those patients with good response showed a shorter disease duration (8.5+/-10.5 mo vs. 13.4+/-10.1 mo), more frequent facial involvement (4/4 patients vs. 3/5 patients) and earlier initial response after treatment (1.0+/-0.0 mo vs. 2.0+/-1.0 mo). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that 1% pimecrolimus cream is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for segmental childhood vitiligo.
Bites and Stings ; Burns ; Calcineurin ; Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Reaction Time ; Sensation ; Tacrolimus ; Vitiligo

BACKGROUND: Although itch is a cardinal symptom of urticaria, its clinical characteristics are not well elucidated in Korean urticaria patients. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical patterns and sensory, affective and therapeutic dimensions of itch in Korean patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). METHODS: A face-to-face structured questionnaire based on the McGill pain questionnaire was given to 83 patients with CIU. RESULTS: All of the 83 patients recruited in the study have fully filled-out the questionnaire. In 71.1 percent of the total CIU patients, itch appeared on a daily basis. Patients experienced exacerbation of itch during winter (41.0%) and at night (37.3%). The buttock (50.6%) and front of the thigh (50.6%) were major sites of involvement with itchiness. Patients perceived itch as burning (62.7%), stinging (44.6%) and crawling sensations (42.2%), rather than stabbing (25.3%), tickling (24.1%) and pinching (10.8%). The main associated symptom was heating sensation (60.2%). The majority of the patients answered that itch was annoying (84.3%), worrisome (80.7%) and bothersome (78.3%). Korean CIU patients answered that stress (36.1%) and hot climate (33.7%) aggravated the itch, and medications (55.4%) alleviated it. Among antihistamines, systemic corticosteroids and topical corticosteroids, antihistamines were the most effective treatment for management of itch in patients with CIU. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the detailed description and characteristics of itch in Korean CIU patients. Moreover, we tried to emphasize the clinical differences of itch in CIU patients in comparison with that in atopic dermatitis patients.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Bites and Stings ; Burns ; Buttocks ; Climate ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Heating ; Histamine Antagonists ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Pain Measurement ; Sensation ; Thigh ; Urticaria ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Itch is an essential feature of atopic dermatitis (AD). Active AD cannot be diagnosed without a history of itch. There has been no previous study delineating the different characteristics of itch according to age. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to characterize and compare the clinical patterns and the sensory and affective dimensions of itch in adult and childhood AD patients. METHODS: A face-to-face structured questionnaire based on the McGill pain questionnaire was given to 90 patients with AD. The patients were classified into two groups: adult AD patients (> or =15 years old) and childhood AD patients (<15 years old). RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent of the total AD patients experienced itch everyday. This itch was mostly aggravated during the summer and at night in both groups of AD patients. The antecubital fossae, popliteal fossae and neck were the major sites of involvement with itch. More patients perceived the characteristics of itch as crawling, burning and tickling rather than stinging, stabbing and pinching. The majority of AD patients answered that sweat and hot climate aggravated the itch and medications and cold climate alleviated the itch. However, compared with the childhood patients, more adult patients experienced the aggravation of itch by exposure to dust, and the itch was alleviated by taking medications and by concentrating on work. A burning sensation with itch was more frequently reported by the adult patients when compared to that of the childhood patients. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the detailed description and characteristics of itch in adult and childhood AD patients. The proper management of itch according to age may be prerequisite to improve AD patients' quality of life.
Adult ; Bites and Stings ; Burns ; Climate ; Cold Climate ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dust ; Humans ; Neck ; Pain Measurement ; Quality of Life ; Sensation ; Sweat

BACKGROUND: Itch is an essential feature of atopic dermatitis (AD). Active AD cannot be diagnosed without a history of itch. There has been no previous study delineating the different characteristics of itch according to age. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to characterize and compare the clinical patterns and the sensory and affective dimensions of itch in adult and childhood AD patients. METHODS: A face-to-face structured questionnaire based on the McGill pain questionnaire was given to 90 patients with AD. The patients were classified into two groups: adult AD patients (> or =15 years old) and childhood AD patients (<15 years old). RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent of the total AD patients experienced itch everyday. This itch was mostly aggravated during the summer and at night in both groups of AD patients. The antecubital fossae, popliteal fossae and neck were the major sites of involvement with itch. More patients perceived the characteristics of itch as crawling, burning and tickling rather than stinging, stabbing and pinching. The majority of AD patients answered that sweat and hot climate aggravated the itch and medications and cold climate alleviated the itch. However, compared with the childhood patients, more adult patients experienced the aggravation of itch by exposure to dust, and the itch was alleviated by taking medications and by concentrating on work. A burning sensation with itch was more frequently reported by the adult patients when compared to that of the childhood patients. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the detailed description and characteristics of itch in adult and childhood AD patients. The proper management of itch according to age may be prerequisite to improve AD patients' quality of life.
Adult ; Bites and Stings ; Burns ; Climate ; Cold Climate ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dust ; Humans ; Neck ; Pain Measurement ; Quality of Life ; Sensation ; Sweat

The wide use of lamivudine in chronic hepatitis B has produced a monotonic increase in patients with lamivudine resistance. Therefore, treating lamivudine resistance in chronic hepatitis B is a major concern in clinical practice for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV). There is conflicting evidence on the outcome of pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN alpha) therapy against lamivudine-resistant HBV, which is due to mutations in the YMDD motif. We experienced a patient with chronic hepatitis B who was successfully treated with PEG-IFN alpha-2a after the development of virologic and biochemical breakthrough during lamivudine therapy. Virologic breakthrough was associated with the emergence of YMDD mutants 48 months after starting lamivudine therapy. Treatment with PEG-IFN alpha-2a for 12 months resulted in an undetectable serum level of HBV DNA and the resolution of hepatitis, and the virologic response was maintained over 16 months after cessation of PEG-IFN alpha-2a.
Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Antiviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral/analysis ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon Alfa-2a/*therapeutic use ; Lamivudine/*therapeutic use ; Liver/pathology ; Male ; Polyethylene Glycols/*therapeutic use

OBJECTIVES: The reliability and validity of the Korean version of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (K-HDRS) were examined in Korean patients depressive symptoms. METHODS: 33 inpatients and 70 outpatients diagnosed as major depressive disorder or depressive episode of bipolar I disorder according to the DSM-IV criteria were assessed with K-HDRS, Clinical Global Impression score(CGI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Montgomery-Aberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). RESULTS: Internal consistency (Cronhach's alpha coefficeint=0.76) and interrater reliability (r=0.94, p<0.001) were statistically significant. Principal axis factoring analysis revealed 4 factors that accounted for 50.4% of the total variance. The correlations of K-HDRS with CGI, BDI and MADRS were 0.84, 0.54, 0.58 respectively. CONCLUSION: These results showed that the K-HDRS could be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of depressive Korean patients. The K-HDRS will be a useful tool for assessing depressive symptoms in Korea.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Reproducibility of Results*

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare chronic cutaneous disease with distinctive clinical characteristics. A painful nodule or pustule breaks down to form a progressively enlarging ulcer. The diagnosis is confirmed by exclusion of other diseases that may cause cutaneous ulcers. Associated conditions are common. The most common associated conditions are inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis, hematologic disorders. Pyoderma gangrenosum develops in approximately 3~5% of patients with ulcerative colitis and 1% of patients with Crohn's disease. Until now, only one case of pyoderma gangrenosum associated with Crohn's disease has been reported in Korea. Recently, we experienced a case of pyoderma gangrenosum developed in a patient with Crohn's disease.
Arthritis ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Korea ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum* ; Pyoderma* ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: Recurrent, often unpredictable, migraine attacks significantly interfere with daily functioning and productivity of patients with migraine. Quality of life measurement represents an important tool for evaluating migraine therapy and judging the impact of headache either on individuals or on society. The objective of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the translated version of MSQoL (Migraine-Specific Quality of Life) in Korean migraine patients. METHODS: Participants, migraineurs from the Samsung Medical Center Migraine Clinic, were screened using the International Headache Society migraine criteria prior to enrollment through direct interview. This survey included the MSQoL, MIDAS (Migraine Disability assessment) and STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). RESULTS: Sixty-five migraineurs were recruited. For the MSQoL, Cronbach's alpha was 0.93. Frequency and number of accompanying symptoms were predictive of the MSQoL. The negative correlation between the MSQoL scores and the MIDAS score was seen (r=-0.585, p<0.01). Similarly a negative correlation between the MSQoL scores and duration of headache was also observed (r=-0.38, p<0.01). Although a significant negative correlation between the MSQoL and STAI scores was present (r=-0.47, p<0.01), correlation between the MIDAS and the STAI scores was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The MSQoL is a reliable and valuable migraine-specific quantitative tool to assess the degree of quality of life in Korean migraineurs. It has a potential to provide valuable information on migraineur's disability and anxiety level. The MSQoL has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used to estimate long-term outcome of migraine therapy in Korean population.
Anxiety ; Efficiency ; Headache ; Humans ; Migraine Disorders* ; Psychometrics ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Reproducibility of Results*