Background: Only a few studies have established the epidemiology of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease in Korea. Furthermore, the incidence of these disease are increasing than before associated with the development of technologies. This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiology of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease and their survival analysis according to treatment. Methods: The nationwide, population-based study evaluated incidence and prevalence of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease using de-identified claims data in The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database between 2013 and 2017. The survival analysis investigated regarding treatment over a period of 6 years. A log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used. Results: The 6,056 patients with newly diagnosed prolactinoma and 584 patients with Cushing’s disease were recorded between 2013 and 2017. The annual incidence of prolactinoma was 23.5 cases per million, and its prevalence was 82.5 cases per million, and 2.3 cases per million/year and 9.8 cases per million for Cushing’s disease. The survival benefit was insignificant in prolactinoma according to treatment, but treatment of Cushing’s disease ameliorated the survival rate significantly. Conclusion Overall, the incidence of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease was similar with those found previously, but the prevalence of two diseases were inconsistent when compared with the early studies. The present study also proposed necessity of treatment in Cushing’s disease for improving the survival rate.

Background: Acromegaly is a rare, slowly progressive disease. Its mechanism is not fully understood, and epidemiological research on Korean patients with acromegaly is scarce.The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and prevalence of acromegaly and assess the comorbidities and survival benefits based on treatment options. Methods: This nationwide population-based cohort study was conducted using data of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment claims database to evaluate the incidence of newly diagnosed acromegaly cases during 2013–2017. Results: During the 5-year period, 1,093 patients were newly diagnosed with acromegaly.The average annual incidence was 4.2 cases per million per year, and the prevalence was 32.1 cases per million during this period. The incidence of hypertension was low after medical treatment (hazard ratio, 0.257; 95% confidence interval, 0.082–0.808; P = 0.020), but the incidence of diabetes showed no significant difference across treatment modalities. Over a period of 6 years since diagnosis, we found that patients treated for acromegaly had a significantly higher survival rate than those untreated (P < 0.001). Conclusion The annual incidence rate of Korean patients with acromegaly was similar to that reported in previous studies. Using nationwide population data, our study emphasized the importance of treatment in acromegaly patients.

Background: Only a few studies have established the epidemiology of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease in Korea. Furthermore, the incidence of these disease are increasing than before associated with the development of technologies. This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiology of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease and their survival analysis according to treatment. Methods: The nationwide, population-based study evaluated incidence and prevalence of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease using de-identified claims data in The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database between 2013 and 2017. The survival analysis investigated regarding treatment over a period of 6 years. A log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used. Results: The 6,056 patients with newly diagnosed prolactinoma and 584 patients with Cushing’s disease were recorded between 2013 and 2017. The annual incidence of prolactinoma was 23.5 cases per million, and its prevalence was 82.5 cases per million, and 2.3 cases per million/year and 9.8 cases per million for Cushing’s disease. The survival benefit was insignificant in prolactinoma according to treatment, but treatment of Cushing’s disease ameliorated the survival rate significantly. Conclusion Overall, the incidence of prolactinoma and Cushing’s disease was similar with those found previously, but the prevalence of two diseases were inconsistent when compared with the early studies. The present study also proposed necessity of treatment in Cushing’s disease for improving the survival rate.

Background: Acromegaly is a rare, slowly progressive disease. Its mechanism is not fully understood, and epidemiological research on Korean patients with acromegaly is scarce.The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and prevalence of acromegaly and assess the comorbidities and survival benefits based on treatment options. Methods: This nationwide population-based cohort study was conducted using data of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment claims database to evaluate the incidence of newly diagnosed acromegaly cases during 2013–2017. Results: During the 5-year period, 1,093 patients were newly diagnosed with acromegaly.The average annual incidence was 4.2 cases per million per year, and the prevalence was 32.1 cases per million during this period. The incidence of hypertension was low after medical treatment (hazard ratio, 0.257; 95% confidence interval, 0.082–0.808; P = 0.020), but the incidence of diabetes showed no significant difference across treatment modalities. Over a period of 6 years since diagnosis, we found that patients treated for acromegaly had a significantly higher survival rate than those untreated (P < 0.001). Conclusion The annual incidence rate of Korean patients with acromegaly was similar to that reported in previous studies. Using nationwide population data, our study emphasized the importance of treatment in acromegaly patients.

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency is caused by congenital or acquired causes and occurs in childhood or adulthood. GH replacement therapy brings benefits to body composition, exercise capacity, skeletal health, cardiovascular outcomes, and quality of life. Before initiating GH replacement, GH deficiency should be confirmed through proper stimulation tests, and in cases with proven genetic causes or structural lesions, repeated GH stimulation testing is not necessary. The dosing regimen of GH replacement therapy should be individualized, with the goal of minimizing side effects and maximizing clinical improvements. The Korean Endocrine Society and the Korean Society of Pediatric Endocrinology have developed a position statement on the diagnosis and treatment of GH deficiency. This position statement is based on a systematic review of evidence and expert opinions.

The Korean Endocrine Society (KES) published clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of acromegaly in 2011. Since then, the number of acromegaly cases, publications on studies addressing medical treatment of acromegaly, and demands for improvements in insurance coverage have been dramatically increasing. In 2017, the KES Committee of Health Insurance decided to publish a position statement regarding the use of somatostatin analogues in acromegaly. Accordingly, consensus opinions for the position statement were collected after intensive review of the relevant literature and discussions among experts affiliated with the KES, and the Korean Neuroendocrine Study Group. This position statement includes the characteristics, indications, dose, interval (including extended dose interval in case of lanreotide autogel), switching and preoperative use of somatostatin analogues in medical treatment of acromegaly. The recommended approach is based on the expert opinions in case of insufficient clinical evidence, and where discrepancies among the expert opinions were found, the experts voted to determine the recommended approach.
Acromegaly ; Consensus ; Expert Testimony ; Insurance Coverage ; Insurance, Health ; Octreotide ; Somatostatin

Acromegaly is a chronic disorder caused by excessive growth hormone (GH) secretion. In most cases, the excess GH originates from GH-producing pituitary adenomas. Surgery is the preferred first-line treatment for patients with acromegaly, but medical management is considered when the disease persists after surgery or in cases where patients refuse surgery or are poor candidates for surgery. Somatostatin analogues are commonly used to treat acromegaly. The Korean Endocrine Society and the Korean Neuroendocrine Study Group have developed a position statement for the use of somatostatin analogues in the medical treatment of acromegaly. This position statement is based on evidence from the current literature and expert opinions. In the case of discrepancies among expert opinions, the experts voted to determine the recommended approach.
Acromegaly ; Expert Testimony ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Octreotide ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Somatostatin

Acromegaly is a chronic disorder caused by excessive growth hormone (GH) secretion. In most cases, the excess GH originates from GH-producing pituitary adenomas. Surgery is the preferred first-line treatment for patients with acromegaly, but medical management is considered when the disease persists after surgery or in cases where patients refuse surgery or are poor candidates for surgery. Somatostatin analogues are commonly used to treat acromegaly. The Korean Endocrine Society and the Korean Neuroendocrine Study Group have developed a position statement for the use of somatostatin analogues in the medical treatment of acromegaly. This position statement is based on evidence from the current literature and expert opinions. In the case of discrepancies among expert opinions, the experts voted to determine the recommended approach.

BACKGROUND: Since the 1980s, restructuring, which includes downsizing, closures, mergers, and privatization, has expanded worldwide, and various studies have investigated its effect on health. However, previous studies have mainly focused on restructuring accompanied by massive lay-offs, and the effect of a merger on workers’ health is still controversial. This study aims to investigate changes in worker depression and job stress after a merger without downsizing, which is unusual in Korea. METHODS: Repeated surveys were done in April 2014, April 2015, and April 2016 involving the participation of 209 subjects. Participants were divided into two groups, which were comprised of blue-collar workers (104) and white-collar workers (105). Sociodemographic characteristics, including age, education level, job tenure, gender, marital status, smoking status, and alcohol consumption, were measured via a survey. To determine the level of depression, the Korean version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was employed, and to investigate job stress, the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form (KOSS-SF) was used. For statistical analyses, Pearson’s chi-square test, the Student’s t-test, and repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed. RESULTS: The results showed that depression (CES-D, F[2, 400] = 0.466, p = 0.628) was changed but without significance and job stress (KOSS-SF, F[1.899, 379.831] = 3.192, p = 0.045) were significantly different. The between-group difference in the CES-D score between the blue- and white-collar workers by survey administration time was not statistically significant (F = 0.316, p = 0.574). The interaction between the survey time and occupational group was also not statistically significant (F = 0.967, p = 0.381). The between-group difference in the KOSS-SF total score was not statistically significant (F = 1.132, p = 0.289), and the interaction between the survey administration time and occupational group was also not significant (F = 0.817, p = 0.437). In the job stress subgroup analyses Job insecurity and Lack of reward showed a significant difference by survey administration time. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a merger without massive downsizing can cause negative health effects such as an changes in depression and increase in job stress. To improve the health of workers, both the immediate negative effects on health, and the long-term effects or their resolution over time should be considered prior to the merger.
Alcohol Drinking ; Depression ; Education ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Marital Status ; Occupational Groups ; Privatization ; Reward ; Smoke ; Smoking

A number of research papers have reported more frequent occurrence of rheumatic/autoimmune disease among patients with hypogonadism or a chromosomal anomaly with potential X-chromosome defects. A 30-year-old female patient came to the hospital with a main cause of bilateral buttock pain, which began two years ago and worsened seven days ago. Ankylosing spondylitis with invasion of both sacral-iliac joints was observed. On magnetic resonance imaging, although the uterus was observed normally, an ovary was not observed. In a chromosome test, balanced reciprocal X-1 translocation of 46,X,t(X;1)(p10;q10) was diagnosed. Here, we report on the first case involving ankylosing spondylitis accompanied by balanced reciprocal X-1 translocation.
Adult ; Buttocks ; Female ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Joints ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Ovary ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing* ; Translocation, Genetic ; Uterus