Citations
Citations
Citations
Citations
Citations
Citations
Citations
Urinary incontinence (UI) is highly prevalent in the aging population. UI is one of the most common geriatric syndromes and affects overall health, quality of life, and economical burden in patients. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of patients with UI and to assess its association with other geriatric health problems.
We used data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing obtained in 2006. Among the 10,254 individuals aged 45 years and older, we analyzed data from 2,418 women aged 65 years and older. Data were obtained using questionnaires for UI, comorbidities, and lifestyle factors.
Among the 2,418 women aged 65 years and older, 506 (20.9%) had UI. Cerebrovascular disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26 to 3.23), arthritis (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.77), and fear of falling (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.18 to 2.22) were significantly associated with UI, while chronic lung disease, psychiatric disease, difficulty in daily living due to visual and hearing problems, and experiencing a fall in the last 2 years were not associated with UI.
Cerebrovascular disease, arthritis, and especially fear of falls were significantly associated with UI in elderly Korean women.
Citations
We examined the association between salivary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and chronic fatigue combined with depression and insomnia.
This cross-sectional study included 58 healthy adults with moderate to severe fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory [BFI] ≥4) for longer than 6 months. Subjects were classified as those without combined symptoms, with either depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] ≥13) or insomnia (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] ≥5), or with both depression and insomnia. Salivary mtDNA copy number was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The association was evaluated using a general linear model.
About 76% of participants had either depression or insomnia as additional symptoms. These subjects were predominately female, drank more alcohol, and exercised less than those without combined symptoms (P<0.05). The group with both depression and insomnia exhibited significantly higher BFI and lower mtDNA copy number than those without combined symptoms (P<0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, significant negative associations between mtDNA copy number and usual fatigue were found in the group without combined symptoms, whereas the negative associations in the group with combined symptoms were attenuated. BDI and PSQI were not associated with mtDNA copy number.
Chronic fatigue is negatively associated with salivary mtDNA copy number. Salivary mtDNA copy number may be a biological marker of fatigue with or without combined symptoms, indicating that a separate approach is necessary.
Citations
The aim of this study was to compare breast and cervical cancer screening rates between female cancer survivors and a population without cancer to identify factors related to cervical and breast cancer screening in cancer survivors.
We included 17,765 adults (738 cancer survivors and 17,027 individuals without cancer) in this study, all of whom who were 30 years of age or older and participated in the Fourth and Fifth Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys from 2007–2012. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to cervical and breast cancer screening uptake in female cancer survivors.
The screening rate for breast cancer was 56.6%, which was higher than that in the non-cancer control group (P=0.001). The screening rate for cervical cancer was 51.4%, which was not different from that of the non-cancer control group. In terms of breast cancer screening, cancer survivors showed no significant difference in the rate of screening 5 years after their cancer diagnosis. However, cervical cancer survivors were less likely to have cervical cancer screening 10 years after their cancer diagnosis. There was no significant association between cancer screening and sociodemographic factors.
Breast and cervical cancer screening rates in Korean female cancer survivors are low. Secondary primary cancer screening of female cancer survivors needs to be planned in a comprehensive manner, with the consideration of influences beyond sociodemographic factors.
Citations
This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depressive disorders and factors associated in long-term cancer survivors.
A total of 702 long-term cancer survivors over 5-years in remission were recruited in a university-affiliated tertiary hospital in Korea. Self-report using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and the Fatigue Severity Scale assessed depression and fatigue, respectively. Demographic characteristics, cancer-related clinical characteristics, comorbidity, health behaviors, and physical symptoms were assessed through the review of medical records or a structured self-administered questionnaire.
We identified 26.1% of patients who had a depressed mood or displayed a loss of interest. The most prevalent primary site of cancer was the stomach (65.2%), followed by lung, breast, colorectal, and thyroid cancer. We also found that 5.7% of subjects experienced double or triple primary cancers. Larger proportion among depressive group (89.1%) complained at least one physical problem than among non-depressive group (53.2%). Physical symptoms including sleep problems, dry mouth, indigestion, pain, decreased appetite, and febrile sense were more frequent in the depressive group than in the non-depressive group. The Fatigue Severity Scale scores were higher in the depressive group than in the non-depressive group (P<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the highest tertile level of fatigue (odds ratio, 7.31; 95% confidence interval, 3.81–14.02) was associated with the increased risk of depression.
These findings suggest that careful concern about depression is necessary in long-term cancer survivors. Fatigue may be a surrogate sign for depression, and warrants further evaluation.
Citations
Being underweight has been related to health risks. However, little is known about the relationship between suicidal ideation and attempting to lose weight. This study was conducted to examine if there is an association between suicidal ideation and attempting to lose weight among underweight adults.
A cross-sectional study of 1,122 underweight adults (range, 19 to 69 years) was conducted based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2012. We examined suicidal ideation, doctor-diagnosed depression, depressive mood, stress, physical activity, health-related behavior, comorbidity, and socioeconomic status by weight loss attempts. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between suicidal ideation and weight loss attempts. The following covariates were controlled for: age, sex, physical activity, alcohol problem, marital status, education, income, occupation, self-perception of body image, chronic disease, and body mass index.
There were 101 subjects in the weight loss attempt group and 1,021 in the non-attempt group. The attempt group had a higher risk of suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR], 2.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35 to 4.53) and depressive symptoms (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.19 to 3.98). After depressive symptoms were added to the covariates, the risk of suicidal ideation was also significant (OR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.03 to 4.35). The two groups did not significantly differ in doctor-diagnosed depression and stress.
Weight loss attempts were associated with suicidal ideation in underweight Korean adults.
Citations
First
Prev
