Korean Journal of Family Medicine

"Arm"

Original Article

Community Pharmacists’ Identifying and Counseling of Breastfeeding Women: A Study from Jordan: Mea’ad Mansour Harahsheh, Tareq Lewis Mukattash, Samah Fawzi Al-shatnawi, Rana Kamal Abu-Farha, Deirdre M. D’Arcy, Anan Sadeq Jarab, Sawsan Hammad Abuhammad; Korean J Fam Med 2024;45(6):346-355. Published online April 22, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.23.0103

Abstract
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Background
This study explored the approaches of Jordanian community pharmacists to identifying and counseling breastfeeding mothers regarding medication usage.
Methods
This cross-sectional study used self-administered questionnaires. A convenience sample (n=381) of Jordanian community pharmacists was recruited through social media. The responses were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 25.0 (IBM Corp., USA).
Results
The majority of recruited pharmacists were female (n=329, 86.4%). Asking every woman was Jordanian pharmacists’ preferred approach to identifying breastfeeding women (n=211, 55.4%). The study showed that around one-third of the pharmacists (n=128, 33.6%) reported that they currently experienced queries regarding medication use during breastfeeding on a daily basis. Additionally, the majority (n=325, 85.3%) of pharmacists reported feeling confident, and 67.2% of them (n=256) reported feeling comfortable while giving advice to breastfeeding women. The surveyed pharmacists relied on different resources during their course of practice to answer queries related to medicine usage by breastfeeding mothers.
Conclusion
Community pharmacists have continuous interactions with breastfeeding women. Pharmacists require reliable and updated data access to answer queries related to medication use while breastfeeding.

Citations

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Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024
Seung-Won Oh
Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55. CrossRef

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Review Articles

The Impact of Pharmacist Medication Reviews on Geriatric Patients: A Scoping Review: Nor Liana Che Yaacob, Mathumalar Loganathan, Nur Azwa Hisham, Habibah Kamaruzzaman, Khairil Anuar Md Isa, Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim, Kwok-Wen Ng; Korean J Fam Med 2024;45(3):125-133. Published online April 5, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.23.0220; Correction in: Korean J Fam Med 2024;45(4):235

Medication review is an intervention with the potential to reduce drug-related problems (DRPs) in the elderly. This study aimed to determine the effect of pharmacists’ medication reviews on geriatric patients. This study accessed two online databases, MEDLINE Complete and Scopus, and examined all studies published in English between 2019 and 2023, except for reviews. The studies included (1) participants over 65 years of age and (2) medication reviews conducted by pharmacists. The titles, abstracts, and full texts were reviewed for data extraction to determine whether the studies satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Forty-four of the initial 709 articles were included in this study. The articles included discussions on the incidence rates of DRPs and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) (n=21), hospitalization (n=14), medication adherence (n=9), quality of life (QoL) (n=8), and falls (n=7). Pharmacist medication reviews were associated with a reduced incidence of DRPs and PIMs, and improved adherence to medications. Patients’ overall QoL is also increasing. However, pharmacist medication reviews were not strongly associated with decreased hospitalization or falls. A pharmacist’s medication review may be a feasible intervention for reducing the incidence rates of DRPs and PIMs, regardless of whether it is performed as a sole intervention or supplemented with other interventions. The intervention was also effective in increasing medication adherence and QoL.

Citations

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Quality of prescribing and health-related quality of life in older adults: a narrative review with a special focus on patients with atrial fibrillation and multimorbidity
Cheima Amrouch, Deirdre A. Lane, Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga, Mirko Petrovic, Delphine De Smedt
European Geriatric Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Erratum: The Impact of Pharmacist Medication Reviews on Geriatric Patients: A Scoping Review
Nor Liana Che Yaacob, Mathumalar Loganathan, Nur Azwa Hisham, Habibah Kamaruzzaman, Khairil Anuar Md Isa, Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim, Kwok-Wen Ng
Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(4): 235. CrossRef
Application of the Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms-Clinical Index to a Cohort of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Undergoing Phlebotomy at an Endocrinology Clinic
Nor Humaira Mohd Tajudin, Mathumalar Loganathan Fahrni, Rohana Abdul Ghani, Mohd Hazriq Awang, Hitesh Chopra, Ali Saleh Alkhoshaiban
Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics.2024; 15(4): 389. CrossRef
Contribución de los Farmacéuticos Comunitarios en la detección y notificación de reacciones adversas en Andalucía
Miguel Romero Pérez, Manuel Sánchez Polo, José Alberto Ayala Ortiz, Blanca Contreras Aguilar, María José Zarzuelo-Romero
Ars Pharmaceutica (Internet).2024; 66(1): 25. CrossRef

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Evidence-Based Guideline for the Treatment of Smoking Cessation Provided by the National Health Insurance Service in Korea: Cheol Min Lee, Yoo-Bin Seo, Yu-Jin Paek, Eon Sook Lee, Hye Seon Kang, Soo Young Kim, Sungwon Roh, Dong Won Park, Yoo Suk An, Sang-Ho Jo, The Guideline Development Group for Developing the Korean Clinical Practice Guideline for Tobacco Cessation; Korean J Fam Med 2024;45(2):69-81. Published online February 28, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.23.0142

Although major countries, such as South Korea, have developed and disseminated national smoking cessation guidelines, these efforts have been limited to developing individual societies or specialized institution-based recommendations. Therefore, evidence-based clinical guidelines are essential for developing smoking cessation interventions and promoting effective smoking cessation treatments. This guideline targets frontline clinical practitioners involved in a smoking cessation treatment support program implemented in 2015 with the support of the National Health Insurance Service. The Guideline Development Group of 10 multidisciplinary smoking cessation experts employed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT approach to review recent domestic and international research and guidelines and to determine evidence levels using the GRADE methodology. The guideline panel formulated six strong recommendations and one conditional recommendation regarding pharmacotherapy choices among general and special populations (mental disorders and chronic obstructive lung disease [COPD]). Strong recommendations favor varenicline rather than a nicotine patch or bupropion, using varenicline even if they are not ready to quit, using extended pharmacotherapy (>12 weeks) rather than standard treatment (8–12 weeks), or using pharmacotherapy for individuals with mental disorders or COPD. The conditional recommendation suggests combining varenicline with a nicotine patch instead of using varenicline alone. Aligned with the Korean Society of Medicine’s clinical guideline development process, this is South Korea’s first domestic smoking cessation treatment guideline that follows standardized guidelines. Primarily focusing on pharmacotherapy, it can serve as a foundation for comprehensive future smoking cessation clinical guidelines, encompassing broader treatment topics beyond medications.

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Pharmacovigilance and Its Importance for Primary Health Care Professionals: Asma A’tiyah Abdul Hamid, Rashidah Rahim, Shyh Poh Teo; Korean J Fam Med 2022;43(5):290-295. Published online September 20, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.21.0193

Abstract
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Pharmacovigilance is used to detect, assess, understand, and prevent the adverse effects of medications. The need for safety monitoring has evolved around unfortunate incidents in history, with deaths caused by anesthesia and congenital malformations from thalidomide use. Reports from adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are stored in a global database and can be used to evaluate the associations between various medications and associated ADRs. Clinicians play an important role in the recognition and reporting of ADRs to national pharmacovigilance centers (NPCs). The purpose of NPCs is to make the clinicians understand their functions, including the monitoring, investigation, and assessment of ADR reports, along with periodical benefit-risk assessments of medications via multiple sources. A case study on NPCs and the types of safety issues evaluated by them are provided to illustrate their role in medicine safety surveillance. ADR monitoring was also combined with vaccine safety surveillance approaches. Overall, this study will provide insights to clinicians on the importance of pharmacovigilance in maintaining patient safety with the proper use of medications.

Citations

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Analysis of literature-derived duplicate records in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database
Weiru Han, Robert Morris, Kun Bu, Tianrui Zhu, Hong Huang, Feng Cheng
Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.2025; 103(2): 56. CrossRef
Leveraging Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning Methods for Adverse Drug Event Detection in Electronic Health/Medical Records: A Scoping Review
Su Golder, Dongfang Xu, Karen O’Connor, Yunwen Wang, Mahak Batra, Graciela Gonzalez Hernandez
Drug Safety.2025; 48(4): 321. CrossRef
Patient Experience Regarding Medication-Related Information Received in a Rural Private Polyclinic Setting in Vietnam
Quang Loc Duyen Vo, Minh Trung Nguyen, Thi Ngoc Yen Dang, Thi Hong Dung Quach, Huynh Kim Ngoc Truong, Rebecca Susan Dewey, Thi Thu Tran, Van De Tran
Journal of Patient Experience.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Interações Fármaco-fármaco em Prescrições de Pacientes em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Adulto em Hospital Público de Montes Claros
Anna Lívia Lima, Kelly Cristiane Lopes, Esther Alves Marinho , Flávio Júnior Figueredo , Cecília Paiva Duarte , Viviane de Oliveira Vasconcelos, Izabella Mendes Lima , Thiago Santos Monção, Guilherme Henrique Azevedo dos Reis , Yves André Rodrigues Gomes
Revista de Gestão e Secretariado.2025; 16(2): e4715. CrossRef
Safety of COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Lactation: A VigiBase Analysis
Dayeon Kang, Ahhyung Choi, Suneun Park, Seung-Ah Choe, Ju-Young Shin
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Revolutionizing drug discovery: The impact of artificial intelligence on advancements in pharmacology and the pharmaceutical industry
Seema Yadav, Abhishek Singh, Rishika Singhal, Jagat Pal Yadav
Intelligent Pharmacy.2024; 2(3): 367. CrossRef
Drug Repurposing Using FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Database
Robert Morris, Rahinatu Ali, Feng Cheng
Current Drug Targets.2024; 25(7): 454. CrossRef
Drug-Related Glomerular Phenotypes: A Global Pharmacovigilance Perspective
Alexandre Baptista, Ana M. Macedo, Ana Marreiros, André Coelho, Mark A. Perazella
Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(16): 4869. CrossRef
Postmarketing Surveillance: Review of Open Sources of Drug Safety Data
E. V. Shubnikova
Safety and Risk of Pharmacotherapy.2024; 12(3): 309. CrossRef
Exploring the community pharmacist’s knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding adverse drug reactions and its reporting in the United Arab Emirates: a survey-based cross-sectional study
Javedh Shareef, Sathvik Belagodu Sridhar, Mullaicharam Bhupathyraaj, Atiqulla Shariff, Sabin Thomas
Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Pharmacovigilance: A Comprehensive Review of Drug Safety Monitoring Practices
Aniket Anil Pawar, Aftab Imtiyaz Patel, Suhani Balu Jadhav, Harshavardhan T. Suryawanshi, Suhani Balu Jadhav
International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology.2024; : 314. CrossRef
Explicit potentially inappropriate medications criteria for older population in Asian countries: A systematic review
Chee Tao Chang, Siew Li Teoh, Philip Rajan, Shaun Wen Huey Lee
Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.2023; 19(8): 1146. CrossRef
A Real-World Data Driven Pharmacovigilance Investigation on Drug-Induced Arrhythmia Using KAERS DB, a Korean Nationwide Adverse Drug Reporting System
Chaerin Go, Semi Kim, Yujin Kim, Yongjun Sunwoo, Sae Hyun Eom, Jiseong Yun, Sooyoung Shin, Yeo Jin Choi
Pharmaceuticals.2023; 16(11): 1612. CrossRef

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Original Articles

Risk Factors Related to Serious Adverse Drug Reactions Reported through Electronic Submission during Hospitalization in Elderly Patients: Seon-Hye Won, Sang-Yeon Suh, Eunji Yim, Hong-Yup Ahn; Korean J Fam Med 2022;43(2):125-131. Published online March 17, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.21.0086

Background
Many studies have assessed the risk factors for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in elderly patients. However, most of these studies have focused on risk factors for ADRs, not serious ADRs (s-ADRs). s-ADRs are commonly found in hospitalized patients. s-ADRs warrant imminent but thorough investigations, given their critical impact on patient health. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to assess the associated risk factors for s-ADRs in elderly hospitalized patients.
Methods
In-patients aged >65 years having ADRs during hospitalization at a university hospital in Korea between 2010 and 2012 were included. Medical professionals spontaneously reported ADRs using an electronic submission system at the study hospital. Further, all descriptions of ADRs were characterized and categorized through the screening of electronic medical records. We compared the characteristics of patients having s-ADRs with those of patients not having s-ADRs.
Results
There were 353 cases of ADRs, 67 of which were s-ADRs. Patients taking more than eight concomitant drugs showed the highest odds ratio (OR, 11.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.42–42.03). The ratio of aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was also significantly related to s-ADRs (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.33–5.81). The use of antibiotics (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.13–5.02) and antineoplastics (OR, 4.17; 95% CI, 1.09–15.94) were significant risk factors.
Conclusion
Our findings highlight the importance of polypharmacy. Liver function tests (AST/ALT ratio) must be monitored carefully within high-risk groups for ADRs.

Citations

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Effect of Epstein–Barr virus on macrophage M2/M1 migration and EphA2 expression in adverse drug reactions
Ran An, Dong‐Jie Sun, Hao‐Xue Lei, Ang‐Ran He, Ying Tu, Jun‐Ting Tang
The Journal of Dermatology.2025; 52(1): 87. CrossRef
Risk factors for severe adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients
Nemanja Z. Petrović, Ana V. Pejčić, Miloš N. Milosavljević, Slobodan M. Janković
Open Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Drug-Induced Serious Cutaneous Reactions in Hospitalized Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Warisara Jiamsathit, Kansuda Bunarong, Sonthiya Papenkort, Anthony R. Cox, Narumol Jarernsiripornkul
Journal of Clinical Medicine.2025; 14(3): 857. CrossRef
Epidemiology of reported serious adverse drug reactions due to anti-infectives using nationwide database of Thailand
Sopit Sittiphan, Apiradee Lim, Haris Khurram, Nurin Dureh, Kwankamon Dittakan, Obed Kwabena Offe Amponsah
PLOS ONE.2025; 20(2): e0318597. CrossRef
Potential inappropriate medications and drug–drug interactions in adverse drug reactions in the elderly: a retrospective study in a pharmacovigilance database
Huaqiao Jiang, Yanhua Lin, Weifang Ren, Lina Lu, Xiaofang Tan, Xiaoqun Lv, Ning Zhang
Frontiers in Pharmacology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Drug Related Problems among Older Inpatients at a Tertiary Care Setting
Porrawee Pramotesiri, Krongtong Putthipokin, Sirasa Ruangritchankul
Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(6): 1638. CrossRef
Exploring the community pharmacist’s knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding adverse drug reactions and its reporting in the United Arab Emirates: a survey-based cross-sectional study
Javedh Shareef, Sathvik Belagodu Sridhar, Mullaicharam Bhupathyraaj, Atiqulla Shariff, Sabin Thomas
Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Severe Adverse Drug Reactions in Korean Elderly Patients
Jungun Lee
Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2022; 43(2): 91. CrossRef

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Inter-arm Differences in Simultaneous Blood Pressure Measurements in Ambulatory Patients without Cardiovascular Diseases: Kyoung Bog Kim, Mi Kyeong Oh, Haa Gyoung Kim, Ji Hoon Ki, Soo Hee Lee, Su Min Kim; Korean J Fam Med 2013;34(2):98-106. Published online March 20, 2013; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2013.34.2.98

Abstract
PDF

Background

It has traditionally been known that there is normally a difference in blood pressure (BP) between the two arms; there is at least 20 mm Hg difference in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 10 mm Hg difference in the diastolic blood pressure (DBP). However, recent epidemiologic studies have shown that there are between-arm differences of < 5 mm Hg in simultaneous BP measurements. The purposes of this study is to examine whether there are between-arm differences in simultaneous BP measurements obtained from ambulatory patients without cardiovascular diseases and to identify the factors associated these differences.

Methods

We examined 464 patients who visited the outpatient clinic of Gangneung Asan Hospital clinical department. For the current analysis, we excluded patients with ischemic heart disease, stroke, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, or hyperthyroidism. Simultaneous BP measurements were obtained using the Omron MX3 BP monitor in both arms. The inter-arm difference (IAD) in BP was expressed as the relative difference (right-arm BP [R] minus left-arm BP [L]: R - L) and the absolute difference (|R - L|).

Results

The mean absolute IAD in SBP and DBP were 3.19 ± 2.38 and 2.41 ± 1.59 mm Hg, respectively, in men and 2.61 ± 2.18 and 2.25 ± 2.01 mm Hg, respectively, in women. In men, there were 83.8% of patients with the IAD in SBP of ≤ 6 mm Hg, 98.1% with the IAD in SBP of ≤ 10 mm Hg, 96.5% with the IAD in DBP of ≤ 6 mm Hg and 0% with the IAD in DBP of > 10 mm Hg. In women, 89.6% of patients had IAD in SBP of ≤ 6 mm Hg, 92.1% with IAD in DBP of ≤ 6 mm Hg, and 0% with IAD in SBP of > 10 mm Hg or IAD in DBP of > 10 mm Hg. Gangneung Asan Hospital clinical series of patients showed that the absolute IAD in SBP had a significant correlation with cardiovascular risk factors such as the 10-year Framingham cardiac risk scores and higher BP in men and higher BP in women. However, the absolute IAD in SBP and DBP had no significant correlation with the age, obesity, smoking, drinking, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and renal function.

Conclusion

Our results showed that there were no significant between-arm differences in simultaneous BP measurements. It was also shown that most of the ambulatory patients without cardiovascular diseases had an IAD in SBP of < 10 mm Hg and an IAD in DBP of < 6 mm Hg.

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Chanhtel E. Thongphok, Abena O. Gyampo, Elisa Fioraso, Anneli O. Ramolins, Elianna G. Hills, Claire E. Coates, Stephen J. Ives
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Simultaneously measured inter-arm blood pressure difference is not associated with pulse wave velocity in a clinical dataset of at-risk hypertensive patients
Janis M. Nolde, Leslie Marisol Lugo-Gavidia, Dennis Kannenkeril, Justine Chan, Sandi Robinson, Ancy Jose, Anu Joyson, Luca Schlaich, Revathy Carnagarin, Omar Azzam, Márcio Galindo Kiuchi, Markus P. Schlaich
Journal of Human Hypertension.2022; 36(9): 811. CrossRef
A new approach for daily life Blood-Pressure estimation using smart watch
Jiayu He, Jianlin Ou, An He, Lin Shu, Tao Liu, Ruowen Qu, Xiangmin Xu, Zhuoming Chen, Yifeng Yan
Biomedical Signal Processing and Control.2022; 75: 103616. CrossRef
Prevalence of inter-arm blood pressure difference among young healthy adults: Results from a large cross-sectional study on 3235 participants
Rawand Abdulrahman Essa, Sirwan Khalid Ahmed
Annals of Medicine & Surgery.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Characteristics of Inter-Arm Difference in Blood Pressure in Acute Aortic Dissection
Nozomi Sasamoto, Koichi Akutsu, Takeshi Yamamoto, Toshiaki Otsuka, Hideto Sangen, Hiroshi Hayashi, Hiroshige Murata, Hideki Miyachi, Yusuke Hosokawa, Shuhei Tara, Yukichi Tokita, Satoshi Miyata, Tetsuro Morota, Takashi Nitta, Wataru Shimizu
Journal of Nippon Medical School.2021; 88(5): 467. CrossRef
The Future Alert of Inter-Arm Blood Pressure Difference Among Young Healthy Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. (Preprint)
Rawand Essa, Sirwan K. Ahmed, Sanaa Hassan Abdul-Sahib, Rozhgar Mohammed Qadir, Zhala Khdir Miire
Journal of Medical Internet Research.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
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Harvey N. Mayrovitz
Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging.2019; 39(1): 35. CrossRef
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Daniel Neunhäuserer, Andrea Gasperetti, Sara Ortolan, Francesca Battista, Pietro Pettenella, Marco Zaccaria, Marco Bergamin, Andrea Ermolao
High Blood Pressure & Cardiovascular Prevention.2018; 25(3): 303. CrossRef
The interarm blood pressure difference: Do we know enough yet?
Christopher E. Clark
The Journal of Clinical Hypertension.2017; 19(5): 462. CrossRef
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C.E. Polo-Portes, M.J. Del Castillo-Campos, J.J. Ramos-Álvarez, M.T. Lara-Hernández
Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
Interarm Difference in Systolic Blood Pressure in Different Ethnic Groups and Relationship to the “White Coat Effect”: A Cross-Sectional Study
Claire Lorraine Schwartz, Christopher Clark, Constantinos Koshiaris, Paramjit S Gill, Shelia M Greenfield, Sayeed M Haque, Gurdip Heer, Amanpreet Johal, Ramandeep Kaur, Jonathan Mant, Una Martin, Mohamed A Mohammed, Sally Wood, Richard J McManus
American Journal of Hypertension.2017; 30(9): 884. CrossRef
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Eva Gaynor, Linda Brewer, Lisa Mellon, Patricia Hall, Frances Horgan, Emer Shelley, Eamonn Dolan, Anne Hickey, Kathleen Bennett, David J. Williams
Journal of the American Society of Hypertension.2017; 11(9): 565. CrossRef
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Christopher E Clark, Rod S Taylor, Angela C Shore, John L Campbell
British Journal of General Practice.2016; 66(652): e838. CrossRef
Gender differences in the relationship between adiposity and systolic inter-arm blood pressure difference in Korea adults
Gwang-Seok Kim
Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information.2016; 21(11): 113. CrossRef
The Relationship Between the Metabolic Syndrome and Systolic Inter-Arm Systolic Blood Pressure Difference in Korean Adults
Hyun Yoon, Seong Woo Choi, Jong Park, So Yeon Ryu, Mi Ah Han, Gwang Seok Kim, Sung Gil Kim, Hye Jong Oh, Cheol Won Choi
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.2015; 13(8): 329. CrossRef
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Young-Jin Tak, Yun-Jin Kim, Sang-Yeoup Lee, Jeong-Gyu Lee, Dong-Wook Jeong, Yu-Hyeon Yi, Young-Hye Cho, Eun-Jung Choi, Kyung-Jee Nam, Hye-Rim Hwang
Journal of the Korean Society of Hypertension.2013; 19(3): 71. CrossRef

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A Preliminary Study for the Effect of Multidivisional Program for Social Skill Improvement on Senile Dementia.: Kwan Hong Ko, Hwan Sik Hwang, Hoon Ki Park, Hee Jung Chae, Jeong Hyun You; Korean J Fam Med 2010;31(3):182-189. Published online March 20, 2010; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2010.31.3.182

Abstract
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Background
Aging population correspond with an increase in the numbers of dementia patients. Dementia decreases the quality of life of patients and care-givers. However, current pharmacological treatment is limited by modest efficacy and adverse effect. Nonpharmacological treatment for dementia has been considered to be a substitute treatment. Recently we developed a special planned program for dementia with depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate therapeutic effect of this program. Methods: We included patients aged 65 and older who diagnosed dementia with depression in a geriatric institution from April to June, 2006. We surveyed their sex, age, education period, and histories of hypertension, smoking, and alcohol intake. Patients in experimental group carried out our program, including cooking, painting, recreation, and activity, 9 times for 60 minutes a session. All included patients were checked Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) and Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) before starting program and after 3 months when programs finished. Results: There was no difference in demographic factors between two groups. K-MMSE was significantly improved in experimental group compared with control group (P = 0.01). And, the KGDS was significantly improved in experimental group compared with control group (P = 0.00). Conclusion: Multidivisional program for social skill improvement was effective on treatment for patients of dementia with depression. Nonpharmacological treatment for dementia with depression would be developed and studied to enhance the qualities of life of patients and care of dementia.

Citations

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Evaluating the Efficacy of Therapeutic Programs on Improving Cognitive Function and Depression among Older Adults Living with Dementia in Korea
Jaeeon Yoo, Sunhee Lee
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2020; 17(9): 3218. CrossRef

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Case Report

A Case of Successful Correction of Subclavian Steal Syndrome by Percutaneus Transluminal Angioplasty with Stenting Who Found Incidentally Significant Interarm Blood Pressure Difference.: Won Back Kim, Mi Kyeong Oh, Soo Hee Lee, Jin Roh, Haa Gyoung Kim, Jin Young Kim, Sang Sig Cheong, Seung Mun Jung; Korean J Fam Med 2009;30(12):979-984. Published online December 20, 2009; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2009.30.12.979

Abstract
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A case of successful correction of subclavian steal syndrome by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting in a male patient who found incidentally signifi cant interarm blood pressure difference. Small difference in blood pressure (BP) between two arms is a relatively common. Significant interarm BP difference is a potential marker of peripheral vascular disease such as subclavian artery stenosis and a predictor of cardiovascular disease. The subclavian steal syndrome is a condition that results from stenosis of subclavian artery proximal to the vertebral artery. The resulting symptoms are vertebrobasilar insuffi ciency symptoms due to reversal of blood fl ow from the contralateral vertebral and basilar artery into the ipsilateral upper extremity vessels and arm ischemic symptoms. Stenotic lesion of subclavian artery has traditionally been treated surgically. However recent trends are undergoing a paradigm shift from open surgery to endovascular approach. We report a patient with subclavian steal syndrome who found incidentally 35 mmHg interarm systolic BP difference. It was successfully treated by percutaneus transradial angioplasty with stenting on stenotic lesion of the subclavian artery.

Citations

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Duplex Sonography in Subclavian Steal Syndrome Treated by Stent Insertion
Minho Han
The Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science.2018; 50(3): 370. CrossRef
The Role of Duplex Sonography in Right Subclavian Double Steal Syndrome
Minho Han, Bok Hee Jin, Hyo Suk Nam
The Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science.2017; 49(3): 316. CrossRef
Inter-arm Differences in Simultaneous Blood Pressure Measurements in Ambulatory Patients without Cardiovascular Diseases
Kyoung Bog Kim, Mi Kyeong Oh, Haa Gyoung Kim, Ji Hoon Ki, Soo Hee Lee, Su Min Kim
Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2013; 34(2): 98. CrossRef

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Review

Health Economics and Outcomes Research.: Chul Min Kim; Korean J Fam Med 2009;30(8):577-587. Published online August 20, 2009; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2009.30.8.577

Abstract
PDF

Health conomics refers to the scientific discipline that compares the value of one healthcare program to another. It is a sub-discipline of Micro-economics. A health economic study evaluates the cost (expressed in monetary terms) and effects (expressed in terms of monetary value, effi cacy or enhanced quality of life) of a healthcare program or product. We can distinguish several types of health economic evaluation: cost-minimization analysis, cost-benefi t analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis. Health economics studies serve to guide optimal healthcare resource allocation, in a standardized and scientifi cally grounded manner. Health economics research facilitates the translation of health technology assessment into useful information for healthcare decision-makers to ensure that society allocates scarce health care resources wisely, fairly and effi ciently. Health economics usually evaluate the outcomes like clinical, economics and humanistic outcomes per costs. Health economics research include pharmacoeconomics, clinical epidemiology, decision analysis, modeling, risk assessment, patient-reported outcomes (quality of life), database analyses, observational studies, and patients registries.

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Annals of Dermatology.2015; 27(3): 298. CrossRef
Cost-effectiveness analysis of low density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering therapy in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes in Korea: single-pill regimen (amlodipine/atorvastatin) versus double-pill regimen (amlodipine+atorvastatin)
Ji-Hyun Park, Yong-Ho Lee, Su-Kyoung Ko, Bong-Soo Cha
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Value-based medicine: concepts and application
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Original Articles

Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Drug Prescription in Community-dwelling Elderly .: Jun Seok Lee, Jai Eun Lee, Ki Yun Jung, Seung Hyun Ma, Mee Young Kim, Sang Ho Yoo, Jong Lull Yoon; J Korean Acad Fam Med 2008;29(12):925-931. Published online December 10, 2008

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Background: Due to rapidly growing elderly population, there are increasing numbers of older persons with multiple chronic disorders and geriatric problems arising from polypharmacy. In this study we tried to find out the state of polypharmacy and inappropriate drug prescription and their related factors in community-dwelling elderly by review of drugs taken by older persons visiting a day health center. Methods: From April 2007 to July 2007, 80 subjects of 65 year-old or over with chronic illness who visited a elderly-wellness and health care center were randomly sampled. All of them were surveyed by structured questionnaires, medical records review, pill counts about all medications they are taking and experience of adverse drug reactions. And all the prescribed medications were reviewed or their drug prescription's appropriateness for each elderly according to Beers criteria. Data results were evaluated by frequency and correlation analyses. Results: The average counts of drugs taken by elderly with chronic disorders were 7.23, minimum 1 to maximum 27 drugs a day. Patients experienced more adverse effects significantly when more prescribed medications were taken (P=0.005), and patients with lack of information about their drugs had taken increased number of medications (P<0.001). Referred to Beers criteria, inappropriate cases of prescription were observed in 26 persons. Those drugs were NSAIDs including aspirin in 17 subjects (21%), amitrityline in 3 (4%), short-acting benzodiazepines in 3 (4%), long acting benzodiazepines in 2 (3%), and anticholinergic antihistamine in 1 (1%). Conclusion: Polypharmacy is very common in community-dwelling elderly with chronic disorders. More medications were related to more adverse drug reactions and lack of information about their drugs related to increased number of drug taking. High proportion of inappropriate drug prescriptions was observed in the elderly, which may have resulted from poor education concerning geriatric care of the medical personnels. (J Korean Acad Fam Med 2008;29:925-931)

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Degree of Compliance with Polypharmacy and Its Influential Factors in Rural Elderly Patients with Chronic Diseases in South Korea.: Mee Ok Kim, Jong Hee Kim, Ji Eun Kim, Bo Ram Park, Joong Won Lee, Hae Goo Park, Hyun Jin Son, Kee Weon Shin, Dae Gyun Kim; J Korean Acad Fam Med 2008;29(8):604-611. Published online August 10, 2008

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Background
This study was to verify the necessity of a control program developed to improve compliance, by conducting a research on the status of medication compliance in the elderly with chronic diseases in rural area and analyzing the related variables. Methods: The organized questionnaire and pill-count were used to collect information on personal details, physical status, drugs taken in the elderly over 65 years old suffering from more than two chronic diseases in one rural area. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 73.13±6.36 (65∼93), and the number of the subjects in compliance group was 60 (77.9%) and the accuracy of self-report which was identified by pill-count was 0.86. Polypharmacy and visiting several clinics were the main factors that decided a low- degree of compliance, with OR of 5.92 (95% CI 1.11∼31.44, P=0.037), and 4.25 (95% CI 1.03∼17.53, P=0.045), respectively. Conclusion: Systematic efforts are necessary and plans must be established without delay to increase compliance in the elderly in the rural, expansively to manage chronic diseases in stay-at-home elders. (J Korean Acad Fam Med 2008;29:604-611)

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Case Report

A Case of High Grade B-Cell Type Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) Lymphoma Found in Patient with Weight Loss.: Tae Seong Lee, Myung Seop Byun, Hyung Sam Kim, Jae Hong Choi, Hwa Sook Jeong, Tae Keun Kang, Joong Kyeum Park; J Korean Acad Fam Med 2006;27(10):830-834. Published online October 10, 2006

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The 68-year-old man who have no particular symptom except 10 kg weight loss was received the gastroscopy as a part of diagnostic tests. On his gastroscopic examination, it was ascertained as high grade B-cell type mucosa- associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma from the biopsy of the erosive lesion on the angle of stomach. This lesion, after pharmacotherapy for Helicobacter pylori, was visible the normal mucosal pattern at the gastroscopic follow-up. Hereupon the writer tried to review the clinical aspect, the diagnosis, the treatment, and the prognosis, along with the literature investigation regarding MA LT lymphoma.

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Original Articles

Blood Pressure Difference between Right and Left Arms of Some College Freshmen.: Ha Jin Kim, Chang Won Won, Eun Suk Ann, Jung Ju Jung, Byung Sung Kim, Hyun Rim Choi; J Korean Acad Fam Med 2003;24(2):166-171. Published online February 10, 2003

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Background
: Hypertension is a main cause of heart blood vessel disease. To diagnose and treat hypertension, it is necessary to measure blood pressure accurately. There are various factors that influence blood pressure. According to real clinical demonstrators and some recent studies, blood pressure differences between right and left arms are often observed. This study was intended to know whether the differences are really found and wheather the correlation exists between mid-arm circumferences and the blood pressure differences according to right-handed or left-handed which were considered as an important factor in affecting blood pressures.

Methods : One hundred sixty nine college freshmen of year 2001 were chosen. Among them, 103 were right- handed and 66 left-handed. Which arms to be checked first were determined randomly. This sequence was repeated two times on each person. Their mid-arm circumferences were measured, also.

Results : For right-handed persons, systolic blood pressure in right arm (119.2±12.3 mmHg) was significantly higher than in left arm (118.0±12.0 mmHg) (P＜0.005). But diastolic blood pressure differences between right arm (75.3±10.0 mmHg) and left arm (75.0±9.5 mmHg) was not significant statistically. For left-handed persons, systolic blood pressure was 120.3±9.9 mmHg in right arm and 120.0±10.3 mmHg in left arm. However, diastolic blood pressure in right arm (76.7±9.4 mmHg) was significantly higher than in left arm (75.0±8.6 mmHg) (P＜0.005). For right handed persons, their arm circumferences (26.2±2.8 cm) were significantly thicker than left ones (25.9±2.9 cm). For left-handed, left arm circumference (25.9±2.7 cm) was significantly thicker than right one (25.5±2.6 cm). As for the blood pressure difference in arm tested order, the first measured systolic blood pressure (right arm; 120.9±11.7 mmHg, left arm; 120.0±11.9 mmHg) was significantly higher than the second measured one (right arm; 118.3±11.8 mmHg, left arm; 117.8±11.6 mmHg) (P＜0.005). However, the first measured diastolic blood pressure (right arm; 76.3±10.5 mmHg, left arm; 75.5±9.4 mmHg) did not have more significance than the second measured one (right arm; 75.4±9.9 mmHg, left arm; 74.6±10.8 mmHg).

Conclusion : The right-handed person's blood pressure was higher in the right arm, but for the left-handed persons it was not significantly different in both arms. The second measurement of blood pressure was lower than the first measurement in both arms. The arm circumference depending on the right/left-handedness influenced the blood pressure, but clear correlation between them was not observed. Therefore, if possible, when the blood pressure is measured, it is advised to check blood pressure in both arms before diagnosing hypertension.

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The relationship between grip strength and radius bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.: Gon Kim, Jeong Ho Lee, Seok Ki Lee, Ho Taek Lee, Young JIn Lee, Chul Young Bae; J Korean Acad Fam Med 2000;21(4):498-506. Published online April 1, 2000

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Background
: Several studies have reported that muscle strength and bone mineral density have a significant positive correlation and most previous literature on muscle strength and bone mineral density examined their association. To evaluate the association between grip strength and radius bone mineral density, more precise PQCT was used rather than SPA or DEXA.

Methods : The study was performed from June to August 1999 in Pundang community with 154 postmenopausal women who undertaken osteoporosis screening program who participated in this study. Bone mineral density was measured at the radius using PQCT (peripheral quantitive computed tomography). Grip and pinch strength were measured in both the dominate and nondominant hand using a dyanometer. Other data were obtained from the questionnaire.

Results : Grip and pinch strength of the dominant hands were significantly higher than the nondominant hands. There was no significant difference in bone mineral density by exercise and fracture history. Age-adjusted partial correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation of radius BMD with dominant hands grip strength. Significant positive correlations also were found between radius BMD and pinch strength.

Conclusion : Subjects with stronger grip strength had a low BMD. There was a significant positive correlationship between bone mineral density and dominant hand grip strength. The data suggest that grip strength is a weak predictor of radius bone mineral density and provide a feasible way of predicting it.