• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.133-150
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• 2021

Purpose: The epidemiologic understanding of allergic diseases, including prevalence and risk factors, is needed for allergy management. This study identified the prevalence of and coping patterns for various types of allergies, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic conjunctivitis (AC), food allergy (FA), and drug allergy (DA), in Nam-gu, Ulsan, one of the most industrialized districts in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using a self-report multiple choice questionnaire. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and other measures were reviewed to develop the questionnaire. Data was collected from May 9th to November 30th of 2018. Descriptive and frequency analyses were performed to apprehend the prevalence of symptoms, diagnostic rates, diagnosis dates, treatment history, and others. Results: By randomized sampling, 9,102 children from 25 nurseries, 25 kindergartens, and 15 elementary schools participated in the study. The prevalence of asthma, AR, AD, AC, FA, and DA were 11.1%, 48.7%, 15.5%, 17.6%, 15.1%, and 2.0%, respectively. The respective rate of ever being diagnosed with asthma, AR, AD, AC, FA, and DA were 4.2%, 38.4%, 25.5%, 23.3%, 9.7%, and 1.1%, respectively. Last year's allergy related school absenteeism rates were 10.8%, 4.1%, and 1.3% for asthma, AR, and AD, respectively. Lastly, 59.2% of the participants considered air pollution as the most challenging factor in allergy management. Conclusion: This study comprehensively investigated the current state of various allergic diseases in Nam-gu, Ulsan. The study's findings are expected to be applied to strategies for decreasing the socioeconomic burden of allergic diseases.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.11-25
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• 2016

Background & Objectives: There were increasing evidence about the relationship between allergy related disease such as asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis and suicide ideation. However little was known about the concrete relatedness between severity and comorbidity of allergy related disease with suicide ideation. The objective of this study was to investigate the cases of the prevalence of suicide ideation among adolescents with allergy related disease such as asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, and examine the association between allergy related disease and suicidal ideation among adolescents in South Korea. Methods: Data was based on Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey(2014) which was a cross-sectional study containing 34,874 Korean middle and high school students who diagnosed with allergy related disease. We used the weights, strata and primary sampling unit information provided by the public use dataset to compute descriptive statistics and logistic regressions. Computations were done with SPSS version 20.0. Results: 19.9%, 15.6%, 13.8% of adolescents who suffered from one, two and three of allergy related diseases respectively reported having been thought of suicide ideation. Socio-demographic factors were adjusted as control variables. Students with greater severity of disease were more likely to have suicide ideation. Odds ratio for students who were absent one to three days from school because of allergies was 1.96(95% CI 1.51-2.46), and odds ratio for those who were absent more than four days from school was 3.60(95% CI 2.46-5.28). Conclusions: Given that adolescents' severity and comorbidity of allergy related disease were clearly associated with suicide ideation, suicide prevention programs for adolescents with allergy related disease should be improved by strategic approaches towards the severity and comorbidity of disease.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.72-77
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• 2024

Purpose: Fish allergy is rare in children, and there have been few studies on childhood fish allergy. This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of white meat fish (WMF) allergy in Korean children. Methods: In this study, we enrolled 150 children with a history of WMF consumption who underwent serum specific immunoglobulin E to cod (cod-sIgE) at Ajou University Hospital from January 2019 to December 2022. The demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, history of consuming 6 major Korean WMF (cod, cutlass, yellow croaker, brown sole, olive flounder, and anchovy), and cod-sIgE were investigated. Results: Sixty-five subjects (43.3%) had clinical responses to at least 1 of the 6 WMF (WMF-allergic), and 85 subjects had no allergic reaction to all 6 WMF (WMF-tolerant). The median age of first symptom onset in the WMF-allergic group was 15 months. Major causative WMF were yellow croaker (30.6%), cutlass (28.7%), cod (26.1%), brown sole (20.4%), anchovy (14.7%), and olive flounder (6.5%). Twenty-three of 65 WMF-allergic children (35.4%) had anaphylaxis. The median level of cod-sIgE was 4.61 kU_A/L (range, 0.04-100.10 kU_A/L) in the WMF-allergic group, and this value was significantly higher (P< 0.001) than that of the WMF-tolerant group (0.04 kU_A/L; range, 0.04-3.08 kU_A/L). The positive rates (≥ class 2, 0.7 kU_A/L) of cod-sIgE for the 6 individual WMF ranged from 69% to 90%. Conclusion: We propose that WMF allergy can develop in young children, with 35.4% experiencing anaphylaxis. Cod-sIgE is considered a useful tool for diagnosing not only cod allergy but also other WMF allergy in children.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.589-593
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• 2004

Aspergillus fumigatus causes a variety clinical syndrome in lung including aspergilloma, chronic necrotizing aspergillosis, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Aspergilloma develops by a colonization and growing of Aspergillus inside lung cavities with underlying lung disease. There is a few report of endobronchial aspergilloma without lung parenchymal lesion. We experienced a case of endobronchial aspergilloma did not fit any category of Aspergillus-induced lesion, who show minimal fibrostreaky denstities on chest PA and chest CT. Massive hemoptysis was improved by a removal of the aspergilloma in this patient. Here, we report a rare case of endobronchial aspergilloma showing massive hemoptysis with review of literatures.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.332-340
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• 2022

Background: Cardiac dysfunction patients have long been considered at high risk of reintubation. However, it is based on past studies in which only conventional oxygen therapy was applied after extubation. We investigated association between cardiac dysfunction and reintubation rate in situation where high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was widely used during post-extubation period. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of patients treated with HFNC after planned extubation in medical intensive care unit of single tertiary center. Patients were divided into normal function group (ejection fraction [EF] ≥45%) and cardiac dysfunction group (EF <45%). The primary outcome was reintubation rate within 72 hours following extubation. Results: Of 270 patients, 35 (13%) had cardiac dysfunction. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. There were no differences in the changes in vital signs between the two groups during the first 12 hours after extubation except diastolic blood pressure. The reintubation rates were 20% and 17% for cardiac dysfunction group and normal function group, respectively (p=0.637). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, cardiac dysfunction was not associated with an increased risk of reintubation within 72 hours following extubation (hazard ratio, 1.56; p=0.292). Conclusion: Cardiac dysfunction was not associated with increased reintubation rate within 72 hours when HFNC is immediately applied after planned extubation.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2008

Adverse reactions to foods are common and increasing problems worldwide. It is important to differentiate between the different forms of adverse reactions to foods, in particular the difference between food intolerance and food allergy. Food allergy is an adverse immunologic response to food and typically rapid in onset, whereas food intolerance is consequence of a variety of non-immune mechanisms and slow in onset. It has been difficult to diagnose food intolerance because of lack of diagnosis measure. There are now effective findings to identify food intolerance, and paradigms with food allergy are shifting. Food intolerance affects virtually every part of the body-from mildly uncomfortable symptoms to severe illness. While there is no known simple 'cure' for food allergy and food intolerance, there are a number of measures that will help avoid and lessen symptoms and correct the underlying causes. We focus the diagnosis and treatment of food intolerance through various views.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2013

Food allergy is defined as adverse reactions toward food mediated by aberrant immune mechanisms. Cow's milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in childhood. This allergy is normally outgrown in the first year of life, however 15% of allergic children remain allergic. Cow's milk allergy seem to be associated with casein (${\alpha}_{s1}$-CN), ${\beta}$-lactoglobulin and whey protein. In addition to this, many other milk proteins are antigenic and capable of inducing immune responses. Various food processing affects the stability, structure and intermolecular interactions of cow milk proteins, as a result reduction the allergenic capacity. Heating, hydrolysis, chemical, proteolytic and other processes such as gamma-ray irradiation, high pressure, using probiotics treatments of milk to obtain hypoallergenic milk have been developed to reduce allergic reactions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.50-53
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• 2017

A mixed infection of Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus (Mab) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in the lung is an unusual clinical manifestation and has not yet been reported. A 61-year-old woman had been treated for Mab lung disease and concomitant pneumonia, and was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Despite both anti-PTB and anti-Mab therapy, her entire left lung was destroyed and collapsed. She underwent left pneumonectomy and received medical therapy. We were able to successfully treat her mixed infection by pneumonectomy followed by inhaled amikacin therapy. To the best of our knowledge, thus far, this is the first description of a mixed Mab and MTB lung infection.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2013

We examined the characteristics of food allergy prevalence and suggested the basis of dietary guidelines for patients with food allergies and atopic dermatitis. A total of 2,417 patients were enrolled in this study. Each subject underwent a skin prick test as well as serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) measurement. A double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge was conducted using milk, eggs, wheat, and soybeans, and an oral food challenge was performed using beef, pork, and chicken. Food allergy prevalence was found among 50.7% in patients with atopic dermatitis. Among patients with food allergies (n = 1,225), the prevalence of non-IgE-mediated food allergies, IgE-mediated food allergies, and mixed allergies was discovered in 94.9%, 2.2%, and 2.9% of the patients, respectively. Food allergy prevalence, according to food item, was as follows: eggs = 21.6%, milk = 20.9%, wheat = 11.8%, soybeans = 11.7%, chicken = 11.7%, pork = 8.9% and beef = 9.2%. The total number of reactions to different food items in each patient was also variable at 45.1%, 30.6%, 15.3%, 5.8%, 2.2%, and 1.0% for 1 to 6 reactions, respectively. The most commonly seen combination in patients with two food allergies was eggs and milk. The clinical severity of the reactions observed in the challenge test, in the order of most to least severe, were wheat, beef, soybeans, milk, pork, eggs, and chicken. The minimum and maximum onset times of food allergy reactions were 0.2-24 hrs for wheat, 0.5-48 hrs for beef, 1.0-24 hrs for soybeans, 0.7-24 hrs for milk, 3.0-24 hrs for pork, 0.01-72 hrs for eggs, and 3.0-72 hrs for chicken. In our study, we examined the characteristics of seven popular foods. It will be necessary, however, to study a broader range of foods for the establishment of a dietary guideline. Our results suggest that it may be helpful to identify food allergies in order to improve symptoms in patients with atopic dermatitis.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2024

Allergy to crickets is uncommon and usually reported from workers who breed, manufacture, or consume them as food for either pets or for themselves. Although there are several reports of hypersensitivity reactions to crickets in other countries, there has been few published reports in this country. Here we report a case of a 20-year-old Korean male who had been exposed for a year in his workplace and developed occupational asthma and rhinitis sensitized to Gryllus bimaculatus (GB). The patient developed respiratory and cutaneous symptoms whenever he was exposed to or came into contact with GBs or dust from the cage storing the GBs. To identify the causative allergen in his workplace, soluble GB extracts were prepared with phosphate-buffered saline and was used for skin prick test (SPT) and immunologic studies. The patient showed positive results to GB extracts as well as to house dust mite (HDM) on SPT, while negative responses were noted in 3 unexposed controls. Higher level of serum GB-specific IgE by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was noted in the patient compared to those of 18 unexposed controls. The IgE-ELISA Inhibition test showed significant inhibitions with serial additions of GB extracts without any inhibitions with HDM extracts. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and IgE-immunoblot analysis demonstrated several IgE binding components (range, 60-75 kDa). The patient was asked to avoid cricket exposure, and symptoms improved with the application of inhaled corticosteroids. Herein, we report a case of occupational asthma and rhinitis due to GB in an exposed worker.