Journal of Korean Medical Science最新文献

{"title":"Epidemiology of Femoroacetabular Impingement in Korea.","authors":"Dong-Hoon Lee, Ki-Tae Park, Jonghwa Won, Joon Hwan An, Jung-Wee Park, Young-Kyun Lee","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e124","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of hip and groin pain. Despite the rising awareness, epidemiological data on FAI remain limited in East Asia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, treatment patterns, and associated medical costs of FAI in South Korea.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To identify patients with FAI, a nationwide claims database from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) was used from January 2013 to December 2022. The patients were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes for FAI. Patients aged 15 years and older were grouped into 5-year age intervals and categorized according to gender. The overall crude and age-adjusted prevalence were assessed from 2013 to 2022 using the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS). Patients were further categorized into those undergoing surgical treatment and conservative treatments. To assess the economic burden of the disease, we estimated the total medical and out-of-pocket costs reimbursed for patients diagnosed with these codes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During the study period, 39,620 patients were considered to have the diagnosis of FAI. Among them, 2,884 patients were hospitalized, including 1,562 men and 1,322 women. The number of hospitalized patients slightly decreased from 303 in 2013 to 281 in 2022. However, the total number of patients increased significantly from 2,721 in 2013 to 5,196 in 2022. When stratified by age in 5-year intervals, a bimodal distribution was observed for men and an unimodal distribution for women, with a peak in the 50s. The age-adjusted prevalence showed an annual increase of 7.14% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.56-10.22; <i>P</i> < 0.001), rising from 5.94 per 100,000 (95% CI, 5.70-6.17) to 10.40 per 100,000 (95% CI, 10.11-10.68). Despite rising overall patient numbers, the proportion undergoing surgical treatment declined from 11.1% to 5.4%. Total medical costs increased by 43% for men and 27% for women from 2013 to 2022.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights the significant increase in FAI prevalence and related healthcare costs in South Korea. However, only a minority of FAI patients underwent surgical treatment during the study period.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 25","pages":"e124"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12209539/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144528359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and Validation of a Korean Trauma and Injury Severity Score (K-TRISS) Model for Predicting Trauma Outcomes.","authors":"Jungsub So, Kyoungwon Jung, Junsik Kwon, Byung Hee Kang, Yo Han Lee, Eun Hae Lee, Chan Ik Park, Jayun Cho, Hoonsung Park, Seoyoung Song, Jayoung Yoo, Inhae Heo","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e122","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Since the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) was first developed in 1987, it has been widely used to predict trauma outcomes. However, numerous attempts have been made to adjust coefficients or develop new prediction models, as TRISS may not align with the local conditions. This study aimed to develop a Korean-TRISS (K-TRISS) model suitable for the Korean population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed data from adult patients with blunt trauma in the Korea Trauma Data Bank (KTDB) from January 2017 to December 2021. A new set of TRISS coefficients (K-TRISS-1) was derived from the study data using a logistic regression method. We compared the predictive ability of the K-TRISS-1 with the previous Major Trauma Outcome Study (MTOS) in 1987 and the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) model in 2009. The predictive power of the models was evaluated with the area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves, and the validity was evaluated with the C-statistic and bootstrap verification methods. Additionally, we enhanced the model construction (K-TRISS-2) by converting the age variable from a categorical format to a continuous one.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 128,534 cases were included in the statistical analysis. The comparison of AUROC values indicated that K-TRISS-1 (0.9232) outperformed MTOS (0.9210) and NTDB (0.9190), with their 95% confidence intervals showing some tendency (0.9196-0.9267, 0.9200-0.9230, and 0.9180-0.9210, respectively). However, K-TRISS-2 (0.9336, 0.9305-0.9367) had a significantly higher AUROC value compared to those of the others and showed excellent predictive power in the C-statistic and bootstrap tests.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study proposes the K-TRISS model, derived from the KTDB, which does not significantly differ from the previous models in terms of predictive power. Furthermore, we were able to construct a model demonstrating improved predictive power when converting age to a continuous variable.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 25","pages":"e122"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12209537/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144528358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Monoclonal Antibody Treatment in Nine Cases of Persistent Headache Following COVID-19-Infection.","authors":"Soyoun Choi, Yooha Hong, Mi-Kyoung Kang, Tae-Jin Song, Soo-Jin Cho","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e127","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored the need for effective treatment for post-infectious complications, including headaches. Owing to the variable nature of post-COVID headaches, identifying effective therapies through clinical trials is challenging and the burden on patients is often severe. This study aimed to summarize the presentation of post-COVID headache in clinical practice and evaluate its response to treatment with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective cohort study, medical records obtained between March 2022 and May 2024 from two centers were analyzed. The study included nine patients with new-onset or significantly worsening or altered patterns of previous headaches lasting more than one month after COVID-19 infection who subsequently received CGRP mAbs. Demographics, headache frequency and severity, medication use, and quality of life were assessed before and after CGRP mAb treatment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All patients were female (median age, 48 years), and 88.9% had headaches for more than three months despite conventional preventive therapies. Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) scores were greater than 60 in all patients, and the headaches were unilateral (66.7%) and pulsating (22.2%). After CGRP mAb treatment, the monthly headache days, headache severity scores, and monthly medication days decreased significantly (median with interquartile range: 25 [15-28] to 5 [4-10], <i>P</i> = 0.012; 8 [7-9] to 3 [2-4], <i>P</i> = 0.011; 16 [15-20] to 5 [4-10], <i>P</i> = 0.017). The HIT-6 (65 [60-68] to 48 [48-60], <i>P</i> = 0.017) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores (14 [5-15] to 10 [4-12], <i>P</i> = 0.028) also decreased significantly after treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>CGRP mAbs may be considered a potential treatment option for persistent headaches following COVID-19, especially the long-COVID headaches. Their use may contribute to an improved burden of headache and quality of life and may help alleviate the psychological symptoms associated with persistent headaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 25","pages":"e127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12209535/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144528357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mediation of Fine Particulate Matter on the Association Between Daily Temperature and Mortality.","authors":"Dajeong Ham, Youn-Hee Lim, Soontae Kim, Ho-Jang Kwon, Sanghyuk Bae","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e115","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e115","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Global warming has raised the earth's temperature approximately 1°C compared to the pre-industrial level. Particulate matter is one pathway through which climate change affects health. This study aimed to estimate the attribution of PM_2.5 on mortality associated with increased temperatures in seven major Korean cities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our data includes daily non-accidental mortality counts, mean humidity, mean PM_2.5 concentration, and mean temperature from 2010 to 2019. Data on daily mean temperature was obtained from the public data portal of the Korea Meteorological Administration. Because the monitoring of PM_2.5 concentration in South Korea started in 2015, we utilized modeling data of the daily mean PM_2.5 concentration from 2010 to 2014. For the period between 2015 and 2019, we used monitoring stations to obtain the daily mean PM_2.5 concentration. Non-accidental mortality counts (ICD-10: A00-R99) were extracted from the cause-of-death statistics in Korea. To measure the attribution of PM_2.5, we conducted mediation analysis. Using the mediation analysis results, we estimated attributable fraction (AF) of increase in temperature compared to climate normal on mortality.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mediating effects of PM_2.5 were observed on days warmer than minimum mortality temperature. The pattern of this mediation effect was similarly observed among those aged ≥ 65 years. In 2019, the AF of the total effect of temperature was from 3.15% to 4.25% in these cities. The AF of indirect effect through PM_2.5 was up to 11% of that of the total effect.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We observed that part of the health risk from increasing temperature is attributable to PM_2.5. These results suggest that the health impacts of climate change can be mitigated by regulating particulate matter pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 24","pages":"e115"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12185987/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Clinic Blood Pressure Target on the Prevalence and Predictors of Masked Uncontrolled Hypertension and White-Coat Uncontrolled Hypertension.","authors":"Hyun-Jin Kim, Yonggu Lee, Jeong-Hun Shin, Ju Han Kim, Sun Ho Hwang, Woo Shik Kim, Sungha Park, Sang Jae Rhee, Eun Mi Lee, Sang Hyun Ihm, Wook Bum Pyun, Jinho Shin","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e117","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e117","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Identifying masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH) and white-coat uncontrolled hypertension (WUCH) without ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring is challenging. Recent literature advocates intensive blood pressure (BP) control, but standard guidelines still suggest a clinic BP threshold of ≥ 149/90 mmHg to diagnose hypertension. This study explored the impact of different clinic BP targets on the prevalence and predictors of MUCH and WUCH.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This multicenter prospective cohort study included 1,601 patients with hypertension from the Korean Ambulatory Blood Pressure registry, all with valid ABP records. Two clinic BP targets were evaluated: an intensive target (< 130/80 mmHg) and a conventional target (< 140/90 mmHg). Controlled hypertension was defined as a 24-hour mean ABP < 130/80 mmHg in patients treated with antihypertensive drugs who had a clinic BP below these targets.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of MUCH decreased significantly with the intensive target (15.5%) versus the conventional target (45.8%). In contrast, the prevalence of WUCH increased only marginally with the intensive targets. Most patients with MUCH (75.9%) had a clinic BP between 130/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg when MUCH was classified using the conventional target. For predicting MUCH, factors such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use, body mass index, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and use of ≥ 2 antihypertensive drugs were significant under the intensive target, whereas clinic BP, LVMI, alcohol intake, stroke history, and use of ≥ 2 antihypertensive drugs were relevant under the conventional target.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Adopting the intensive clinic BP target (< 130/80 mmHg) notably reduced the prevalence of MUCH, with a slight increase in WUCH, offering a more accurate assessment of BP control than the conventional target.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 24","pages":"e117"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12185986/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Occupational Lead Exposure Among Civilian Indoor Shooting Range Workers in Korea: A Report of Blood Lead Levels and Airborne Lead.","authors":"Sungjin Park, Jaeyoung Park, Bumjoon Lee, Yi-Ryoung Lee, Jiho Kim, Younmo Cho, Hyeongyeong Choi, Kyeongyeon Kim","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e116","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Indoor shooting ranges have emerged as a major source of lead exposure. However, occupational lead exposure in civilian indoor shooting ranges has been understudied in South Korea. This study aimed to assess blood lead levels (BLLs) and airborne lead concentrations among workers at these establishments.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This descriptive observational study included 21 workers from three indoor shooting ranges in South Korea. BLL was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and airborne lead concentrations were assessed using personal air sampling devices. Data regarding occupational history, job type, and work area were collected through interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean BLL among workers was 39.82 µg/dL, with shooting coaches exhibiting the highest levels, substantially exceeding those of the general population. Airborne lead concentrations near firing zones were approximately seven times higher than the occupational exposure limit. Both air lead levels and BLL differed significantly based on job role and work area within the shooting ranges, showing a strong correlation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights considerable lead exposure in civilian indoor shooting ranges, indicating the urgent need for improved safety regulations and preventive measures to mitigate lead exposure risks. Enhanced ventilation systems, regular health screenings, and better education on safety practices are recommended to protect workers' health.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 24","pages":"e116"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12185985/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Projection of Future Medical Expenses Based on Medical Needs and Physician Availability.","authors":"Hyejin Joo, Jinwook Hong, Jaehun Jung","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e121","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e121","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Accurate scientific projections of future healthcare expenditures and workforce capacity are vital in South Korea for addressing concerns about the sustainability of the national health insurance system. This study aims to analyze projected changes in healthcare expenditures due to demographic shifts and identify appropriate healthcare workforce to meet future demands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from Statistics Korea, the National Health Insurance Service, the Bank of Korea, and the Korea Development Institute were used. The Stepwise Auto Regression Model projected healthcare costs and insurance rates, considering future population estimates, the proportion of older people in the population, life expectancy, changes in medical cost rates, nominal Gross National Income, and the ratio of current medical expenses on Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The analysis applied two scenarios: maintaining the current medical school admission quota and increasing it by 1,509 students.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study anticipates a rise in future medical insurance rates alongside a gradual decline in the rate of change in medical costs. The demand for medical services is forecasted to grow by over 4% annually for the next 30 years due to an aging population and low birth rates. The ratio of current medical expenses on GDP is projected to increase significantly, reaching approximately 20.0% in 2060 from 9.7% in 2024. In two scenarios: if 3,058 medical students are added to the existing medical license holders, medical costs per active physician will increase by 2.8 billion won; if 4,567 medical students are added, the costs will increase by 2.3 billion won by 2060. Despite 1,509 new medical students annually, the number of active physicians will increase by only 1% per year, starting a decade later. Consequently, the medical market will continue to expand, and the demand for medical services per physician will not decrease. Health insurance rates are expected to rise steadily from 7.09% in 2024 to 14.39% by 2060.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This underlines the imperative to prioritize enhancing the sustainability of the healthcare system over solely augmenting medical student numbers. We should scientifically and precisely predict future medical costs and consider deeply whether it is right to shift the burden of intergenerational medical care to future generations at this point.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 24","pages":"e121"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12185983/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Erratum: Correction of Tables in the Article \"Maternal Exposures to COVID-19 Vaccine and Adverse Birth Outcomes: National Population Study\".","authors":"Kyuwon Kim, Erdenetuya Bolormaa, Eunseon Gwak, Ju-Young Shin, Nam-Kyong Choi, Young June Choe, Seung-Ah Choe","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e198","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e198","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This corrects the article on p. e63 in vol. 40, PMID: 40329789.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 24","pages":"e198"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12185984/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Uncontrolled Hypertension in the Middle Aged 40-59 in Korean Population.","authors":"Eung-Joon Lee, Seung Jae Kim","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e129","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e129","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Emerging evidence highlights the interplay between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and resistant hypertension. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association between OSA and uncontrolled hypertension in the Korean middle-aged population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study utilized data from the 2019-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants aged 40-59. OSA was identified using the STOP-BANG questionnaire, whereas hypertension control was defined as a systolic blood pressure of < 140 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure of < 90 mmHg, with stricter criteria for those with diabetes. The sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of the participants with and without OSA were evaluated. Finally, univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed to investigate the association between OSA and hypertension control.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 4,061 patients aged 40-59, 725 (17.9%) were identified as OSA. The proportion of patients diagnosed with hypertension was significantly higher in the OSA group than in the non-OSA group (48.1% vs. 10.5%, <i>P</i> < 0.001). The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was significantly higher in the OSA group, both among those with diagnosed hypertension (45.5% vs. 32.6%, <i>P</i> = 0.003) and those taking antihypertensive medication (39.8% vs. 30.1%, <i>P</i> = 0.024). After adjusting for confounders, OSA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.26), diabetes (aOR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.10-2.64), and male sex (aOR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.05-2.71) were significantly associated with uncontrolled hypertension in patients with hypertension aged 40-59 years despite using antihypertensive medication.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights a significant association between OSA and uncontrolled hypertension in the middle-aged Korean population and emphasizes the need for routine OSA screening in patients with hypertension at this age. Integrating OSA management into hypertension treatment could improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 24","pages":"e129"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12185988/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144475587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Position Statement on the Treatment of Hearing Impairment, Focused on Hearing Aids, From the Korean Otological Society Hearing Aid Study Group.","authors":"Jeon Mi Lee, Seung-Ho Shin, Myung-Whan Suh, Seong Joon Choi, You-Ree Shin, Yong-Hwi An, Jungmin Ahn, Heil Noh, Il Joon Moon, Moo Kyun Park, Shi Nae Park, Hantai Kim, Dong-Hee Lee","doi":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e182","DOIUrl":"10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e182","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hearing impairment not only diminishes sound perception but also leads to various secondary disabilities; therefore, proper management is crucial for individual well-being and socioeconomic savings. This study establishes an expert consensus on the treatment of hearing impairment, primarily concentrating on hearing aids (HAs), to assist physicians. A modified nominal group technique was used to collect expert opinions about the management of hearing impairment with HAs. The expert panel consisted of 13 otologists from the Korean Otological Society Hearing Aid Study Group. The panel formulated and examined 12 subtopics, with each statement evaluated for consensus using a 9-point Likert scale. Statements with strong consensus were preserved, and those with weak consensus were either discarded or deliberated until agreement was achieved. The position statement discusses essential elements of HA utilization: candidacy, prescription, fitting, maintenance, and verification. It further offers direction on audiological and medical assessments, along with the qualifications and responsibilities of HA practitioners. The statement underscores the need for verification techniques, including coupler and real ear measurements, and stresses the importance of auditory rehabilitation for HA users. Furthermore, it examines the function of HAs in addressing tinnitus and hyperacusis and provides guidance for the management of hearing impairment resulting from external or middle ear complications. This position statement presents a thorough and organized methodology for addressing hearing impairment with HAs. It functions as a crucial resource for physicians, offering information vital to the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of hearing impairment and the management of related diseases. This declaration advocates for a comprehensive approach that combines professional skill, patient awareness, and societal support to effectively manage hearing impairment.</p>","PeriodicalId":16249,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Korean Medical Science","volume":"40 23","pages":"e182"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12170300/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144310034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}