Hangil Lee

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in South Korea. With the rapidly aging population in the country, the prevalence of HF and its associated costs are expected to rise continuously. This study was carried out to estimate the prevalence and economic burden of HF in order to understand its impact on our society. METHODS: A prevalence-based, cost-of-illness study was conducted using the 2014 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National

AIMS: Haemophilia A patients with factor VIII inhibitors (HAPI) experience frequent spontaneous bleeding, approximately once a week, and require expensive bypassing agent (BPA) treatments to control bleeding over their lifetime. According to the HAVEN 1 trial, weekly emicizumab (Hemlibra®) prophylaxis injection reduces annualized bleeding rates (ABR) by 87% compared with BPA on-demand treatment (BPA-OD) administered at the time of bleeding. Our study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of emi

BACKGROUND: An association between exposure to statin drugs and favourable treatment outcomes for various types of infections has been established. AIM: To determine the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) among hospitalised patients taking statin drugs. METHODS: The medical records were reviewed for consecutive in-patients with CDI confirmed by positive toxin assay (A or B), C. difficile culture, or the presence of pseudomembrane on endoscopy

Objectives: Although tic disorder (TD) is a common mental disorder in children and adolescents, epidemiological data based on real-world evidence (RWE) are insufficient. Using RWE, this study sought to examine the prevalence of treated TD, use of medical utilization, and use of prescription drugs among patients with TD with respect to TD type and comorbid psychiatric illness. Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study. Using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Serv

Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are common in the pharmaceutical industry, there is little empirical evidence on consumer responses to CSR practices. We investigated public awareness, preferences, and expectations regarding social contribution of the pharmaceutical industry's CSR activities, and identified the factors associated with such activities. We conducted an online survey with 1,298 respondents comprising two groups: healthy individuals (546) and patients (752).

INTRODUCTION: Antiviral therapy (AVT) for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) can prevent liver disease progression. Because of its stringent reimbursement criteria, significant numbers of patients with untreated minimally active (UMA)-CHB exist, although they are still subject to disease progression. We thus performed a cost-effectiveness analysis to assess the rationale for AVT for UMA-CHB. METHODS: We compared cost and effectiveness (quality-adjusted life years, QALYs) in virtual UMA-CHB cohorts of 10,

BACKGROUND: Patients with decompensated cirrhosis are well known to experience morbidity and mortality. AIM: We assessed clinical characteristics, health-care utilization, and economic burden according to the type, number, and combination of decompensation-related complications. METHODS: We used recent nationally representative sample data from 2016 to 2018, covering approximately 13% of hospitalized patients in South Korea annually. Decompensation-related complications included ascites, hepatic

Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe gastroenteritis among children younger than 5 years in South Korea. Two rotavirus vaccines (RVs), pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine (Rotateq®; RV5) and attenuated human strain originated monovalent vaccine (Rotarix®; RV1), have been available for voluntary vaccination using out-of-pocket payment since 2007 and 2008, respectively. Yet, RVs are not included in the National Immunization Program (NIP), partly because of the low associated mortality r

Poor patient recognition of eye disease among the Korean elderly highlights the seriousness of this potential public health problem in our aging society. Pre-existing eye-related conditions and diabetes were significant predictors of awareness; therefore, patients in frequent contact with their doctors have a greater chance of detecting eye disease.

Objective: This population-based epidemiologic study aimed to analyze the prevalence and trends of atypical antipsychotic (AAP) use and identify factors associated with AAP prescribing among children and adolescents in Korea. Methods: Using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service—Pediatric Patients Sample data between 2010 and 2014, we assessed the prevalence of and secular trends in AAP use; utilization of individual AAP drug based on the type of healthcare services, healthcare insti

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a commercially available multiplex RT-PCR assay for the rapid detection and identification of dermatophytes directly from clinical samples and cultures. METHODS AND RESULTS: The multiplex RT-PCR assay was used to evaluate 118 clinical isolates from various specimen types and a total of 140 known specimens were compared with both conventional methods, commercially available PCR-REBA, and ITS sequence analysis. In this study, multiplex

Task specific focal dystonia: a presentation of spinocerebellar ataxia type 6

South Korea operates a National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) for people who experience adverse events following immunization (AEFI). To run this program rationally, it is a prerequisite to confirm whether adverse events were caused by immunization. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a severe neurological disease with limb pain and muscle weakness as cardinal symptoms, is attracting attention as an AEFI. However, algorithm or guidelines for assessing the causality between vaccination an