A Study of the Chief Complaints of Pediatric Outpatients

소아과(小兒科) 외래(外來) 환자(患者)의 주소증(主訴證)에 관한 고찰(考察)

The Purpose of this study was to collect statistics of pediatric problems, and so to investigate the new effective oriental medicine treatments in pediatric disease and its clinical applicability. The Study was composed of 698 new patient who had been treated at the pediatric unit in th Dong Sea Oriental Medical Hospital for 1 year, from 1 September 2001 to 31 October 2002, and aged between 0 and 18 years. The Chief complaints and their care-givers. Result: 1. In the study, male children are 403 and female children are 295. So the sex ratio between male and female is 1.37 : 1. 2. In age distribution, 0-3 years : 317(45.4%), 4-6 years : 148(21.2%). 7-9 years 98(14.0%), 10-12 years: 66(9.5%), 13-15 years : 40(5.7%), 16-18 years 29(4.2%). 3. The chief complaint according to systemic division was Respiratory diseases covers 30.1%, Digestive diseases covers 20.8%, Physique diseases covers 10.6%. 4. The Respiratory diseases tended to increase in autumn and appeared mostly in the age group between 0 and 9 years. The Digestive diseases increase in summer and appeared mostly in the age group between 10 and 12 years. The physique diseases increase in winter and appeared mostly in he age group between 13 and 18 years. 5. Most of patient came to the hospital from diseases such as common cold, weakness, dyspepsia, atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, take a easy cold, short stature, sweating, Bell's palsy, abdominal pain, etc. Conclusion : 1. The chief complaint In pediatric diseases that needed an oriental medical treatment was mainly the disease that tends to take long time and the weakness, and appeared frequency in respiratory and digestive disease. 2. The oriental medical treatment was still preferred as a way to improve the weakness by patients, rather than a way to overcome their disease. in particular, the study shows that the oriental medical treatment should be emphasized in terms of preventing the disease. 3. The new disease, which were developed with change of human life and environment, should be investigated as a new fie of oriental medical treatment.