• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7029-7035
• /
• 2014

Certain types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are undoubtedly involved in genesis of human malignancies. HPV plays an etiological role in cervical cancer, but also in many vaginal, vulvar, anal and penile cancers, as well as head and neck cancers. In addition, a number of non-malignant diseases such as genital warts and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis are attributable to HPV. Moreover, HPV forms have detected in several other cancers including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, lung, prostate, ovarian, breast, skin, colorectal and urinary tract cancers, but associations with etiology in these cases is controversial. The aim of this systematic assessment was to estimate the prevalence of HPV infection and HPV types in HPV-associated cancers, HPV-related non-malignant diseases and in cancers that may be associated with HPV in Iran. The present investiagtion covered 61 studies on a variety of cancers in Iranian populations. HPV prevalence was 77.5 % and 32.4% in cervical cancer and head and neck cancers, respectively. HPV was detected in 23.1%, 22.2%, 10.4%, 30.9%, 14% and 25.2% of esophageal squamous cell, lung, prostate, urinary tract cancers, breast and skin cancers, respectively. HPV16 and 18 were the most frequent HPV types in all cancers. The findings of present study imply that current HPV vaccines for cervical cancer may decrease the burden of other cancers if they are really related to HPV.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.74 no.3
• /
• pp.104-110
• /
• 2013

Background: Notified tuberculosis (TB) cases in Korea have not decreased over the last decade (2001-2010). Methods: To clarify the reasons, we analyzed an annual report on notified tuberculosis patients and age-specific population drift in Korea. Results: Compared to the age-specific notified TB cases between 2001 and 2010, distinctive features in notified TB cases and new cases increased markedly in people aged 45-54 years and in patients over 65 years old, whereas those between 15-34 years in 2010 decreased drastically. In particular, notified TB individuals over 65 years old occupied 29.6% of the cases in 2010, which was 1.5 times higher than that in 2001. The main reason not to decrease in notified TB patients for the last decade (2001-2010) was due to the increasing elderly population as well as the aging of baby boomers, which have a higher risk of TB development. Conclusion: Korea needs to pay attention to the older population in order to successfully decrease the burden of TB in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.155-164
• /
• 2013

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the most important causes of premature mortality and disability-adjusted life years in Korea. NCDs are also the main contributor to socioeconomic inequalities in mortality and life expectancy. Reduction of NCDs and NCD inequalities would result in significant improvement in healthy life expectancy and health equity in Korea. Major NCD risk factors such as dietary risks (including salt intake), alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and high blood pressure were found to be the leading modifiable risk factors of disability-adjusted life years in Korea, based on the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study. Several Korean studies have shown that these risk factors play an important role in creating socioeconomic inequalities in NCD mortality and total mortality. Current international discussions on NCD policies in the United Nations and the World Health Organization would provide better opportunities for developing aggressive population-wide policy measures in Korea. Considering the paucity of population-wide policies to control major NCD risk factors in Korea, rigorous population approaches such as taxation and regulation of unhealthy commodities as well as public education and mass campaigns should be further developed in Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.82 no.1
• /
• pp.6-14
• /
• 2019

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by infection and represents a substantial global health burden. Recent epidemiological studies showed that sepsis mortality rates have decreased, but that the incidence has continued to increase. Although a mortality benefit from early-goal directed therapy (EGDT) in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock was reported in 2001, three subsequent multicenter randomized studies showed no benefits of EGDT versus usual care. Nonetheless, the early administration of antibiotics and intravenous fluids is considered crucial for the treatment of sepsis. In 2016, new sepsis definitions (Sepsis-3) were issued, in which organ failure was emphasized and use of the terms "systemic inflammatory response syndrome" and "severe sepsis" was discouraged. However, early detection of sepsis with timely, appropriate interventions increases the likelihood of survival for patients with sepsis. Also, performance improvement programs have been associated with a significant increase in compliance with the sepsis bundles and a reduction in mortality. To improve sepsis management and reduce its burden, in 2017, the World Health Assembly and World Health Organization adopted a resolution that urged governments and healthcare workers to implement appropriate measures to address sepsis. Sepsis should be considered a medical emergency, and increasing the level of awareness of sepsis is essential.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.17 no.10
• /
• pp.559-566
• /
• 2017

Despite the government operating various preventive programs to ward off accidents and diseases on business sites, diseases rates are not decreasing, unlike accident rates. In many cases, diseases caused by work have a latent period before symptoms appear or progress over a longer term, making it difficult for workers to prove the causal relation between their work and the diseases. Moreover, data related to the business site are mostly owned by the employer. Even if the employee has access to parts of such data, his lack of medical expertise limits his ability to identify the characteristics of the diseases and how it appears. In August, 2017 the Supreme Court did an about-face with its ruling on the case involving diseases caused by exposure to harmful substances in work environments, by easing the burden of proof on the employees. As such, this study focuses on the case to analyze cases involving diseases that have occurred in work environments and present their implications. In doing so, the study seeks to provide a basic set of data that can help secure the employees' labor rights and rights to health by complementing the current law in relation to recognizing industrial incidents caused by rare diseases and making work environments safer for employees.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.375-384
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This paper analyzes the intersection of tort law and environmental health in a recent court decision. Methods: This paper analyzes Supreme Court Decision 2011Da7437, Decided on September 4, 2014 and related lower court decisions. Results: The plaintiffs sought financial compensation from the defendants, arguing that air pollutants in gases emitted by vehicles produced by the defendants had caused them to acquire respiratory diseases. The district court highlighted the need to mitigate the burden of proof for the plaintiffs, but proceeded to review whether the plaintiffs proved the actual toxicity levels of the air pollutants, whether the defendant's vehicles were the main source of the emissions, the plaintiff's level of exposure to the pollutants, and causation between the emissions and the injury. By doing so, the district court required the plaintiffs to prove both indirect and direct facts of causation, increasing burden of proof for plaintiffs. The appellate court upheld the district court's decision, adding that the defendant's conduct did not constitute an illegal act because it did not violate the emissions standards set by environmental law. The Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's decision, reasoning that the epidemiological evidence cannot establish a direct causation for diseases that lack specificity. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that discussions in environmental health have significance in tort lawsuits. For each fact that the plaintiffs and defendants attempted to prove, environmental health research studies were offered as evidence. In addition, the courts decided the legality of the defendant's conduct based on emission standards set by environmental law.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.9-14
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between the characteristics of the patients who received oral antihyperglycemic drugs and their medical adherence in Korea. The study method was a cross-sectional study using the patient sample data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service for 2016, and it was analyzed with 109 major components of diabetes drug. The medical adherence was slightly higher in male than female. The patriots & veterans(free) type had the highest medication adherence because they have low self burden to access medical institutions compared to other insurance types. It is expect that this study result will be used as a basic data to understand the burden of outpatients with health insurance and establish a policy to reduce of the self outpatients' burden with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.293-299
• /
• 2013

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of epilepsy and to estimate the cost of epilepsy in Korea, 2010. Methods: This study used a prevalence based approach to calculate the cost of epilepsy. Claims data from the Korean national health insurance and data from the Korea health panel, the Korea National Statistical Office's records of causes of death, and labor statistics were used to estimate the cost of epilepsy. Patients were defined as those who were hospitalized or visited an outpatient clinic during 2010 with a diagnosis of epilepsy (International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes G40-G41). Total costs of epilepsy included direct medical costs, direct non-medical cost and indirect costs. Results: The annual prevalence of treated epilepsy was 228 per 100 000 population, and higher in men. The age-specific prevalence was highest for teenagers. The total economic burden of epilepsy was 536 billion Korean won (KW). Indirect cost (304 billion KW) was 1.3 times greater than direct cost (232 billion KW). By gender, the male (347 billion KW) were more burdened than the female (189 billion KW). The estimated cost in young age younger than 20 years old was 24.5% of the total burden of epilepsy. Conclusions: A significant portion of the economic burden of epilepsy is borne by people in young age. To reduce the economic burden of epilepsy, effective prevention and treatment strategies are needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.92-98
• /
• 2002

Objective : To estimate the burden of cardiovascular disease attributable to the total suspended particulates (TSP) and sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$) in Korea using the YLD (years lived with disability) measurement. Methods : Congestive heart failure(CHF) and myocardial infarction (MI) were chosen as the main cardiovascular diseases whose causes are attributable to the TSP and $SO_2$ levels. In order to calculate the YLD (years lived with a disability), the following parameters in the formula were estimated. : the incidence rate, the case fatality rate, The expected duration of a disability and the average age of onset were estimated. The expected duration of a disability and the average age of onset were calculated using the DISMOD method, as developed by the GBD researchers. The burden of cardiovascular disease due to TSP and $SO_2$ was estimated using the number of years that the patient lived with a disability. Results : The VLD of the CHF due to the TSP and $SO_2$ was attributed to the TSP (94.4 person-year) and $SO_2$ levels (35.0 person-year). The YLD of the ME due to the TSP and $SO_2$ was attributed to the TSP (148.4 person-year) and $SO_2$ levels(27.6 person-year). Conclusion : The YLD method employed in this study was appropriate for quantifying the burden of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it would provide a rational basis for planning a national health policy regarding the disease burden of the risk factors in Korea.

• Infection and chemotherapy
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.287-300
• /
• 2018

Pneumonia is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in old adults. The incidence and etiologic distribution of community-acquired pneumonia is variable both geographically and temporally, and epidemiology might evolve with the change of population characteristics and vaccine uptake rates. With the increasing prevalence of chronic medical conditions, a wide spectrum of healthcare-associated pneumonia could also affect the epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia. Here, we provide an overview of the epidemiological changes associated with community-acquired pneumonia over the decades since pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction.