Jin Taek Kim, You Mi Kim, Kyong Yeun Jung, Hoonsung Choi, So Young Lee, Hyo-Jeong Kim
{"title":"Efficacy and safety of denosumab treatment for Korean patients with Stage 3b-4 chronic kidney disease and osteoporosis.","authors":"Jin Taek Kim, You Mi Kim, Kyong Yeun Jung, Hoonsung Choi, So Young Lee, Hyo-Jeong Kim","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.292","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>We evaluated the efficacy and safety of denosumab treatment in severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with osteoporosis. We also investigated whether the treatment affects the coronary artery calcifications.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty-seven postmenopausal women with Stage 3b-4 CKD and osteoporosis were enrolled. Twenty patients received denosumab plus calcium carbonate and vitamin D, and seven controls received calcium carbonate and vitamin D for 1 year. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring computed tomography were performed before and after treatment. Hypocalcemic symptoms and serum calcium levels were evaluated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After 1 year of treatment, the percent changes of femur neck (3.6 ± 3.2% vs. -0.7 ± 4.4%, p = 0.033) and total hip (3.4 ± 3.8% vs. -1.9 ± 2.1%, p = 0.001) bone mineral density (BMD) were significantly increased in the denosumab treated group compared to the control group. However, the percent change of lumbar spine BMD did not differ between two groups (5.6 ± 5.9% vs. 2.7 ± 3.9%, p = 0.273). The percent change of bone alkaline phosphatase was significantly different in the denosumab-treated group and control group (-31.1 ± 30.0% vs. 0.5 ± 32.0%, p = 0.027). CAC scores did not differ between groups. No hypocalcemic events occurred in both groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>If carefully monitored and supplemented with calcium and vitamin D, denosumab treatment for 1 year provides significant benefits in patients with Stage 3b-4 CKD and osteoporosis. However, denosumab treatment did not affect coronary artery calcifications in these patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"148-159"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790049/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139038137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kwang-Ha Yoo, Sang-Ha Kim, Sang-Heon Kim, Ji-Yong Moon, Heung-Woo Park, Yoon-Seok Chang, Maarten J H I Beekman
{"title":"Short-acting β2-agonist prescriptions in patients with asthma: findings from the South Korean cohort of SABINA III.","authors":"Kwang-Ha Yoo, Sang-Ha Kim, Sang-Heon Kim, Ji-Yong Moon, Heung-Woo Park, Yoon-Seok Chang, Maarten J H I Beekman","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.086","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>Despite short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) overuse being associated with poor asthma outcomes, data on SABA use in South Korea is scarce. Herein, we describe prescription patterns of SABA and other asthma medications in patients from the South Korean cohort of the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) III study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study included patients with asthma aged ≥ 12 years, who had ≥ 3 consultations with the same healthcare provider, and medical records containing data for ≥ 12 months prior to the study visit. Patients were classified by investigator-defined asthma severity (per 2017 Global Initiative for Asthma recommendations) and practice type (primary or specialist care). Data on disease characteristics, asthma treatments, and clinical outcomes in the 12 months before the study visit were collected using electronic case report forms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data from 476 patients (mean age, 55.4 years; female, 63.0%) were analyzed. Most patients were treated by specialists (83.7%) and had moderate-to-severe asthma (91.0%). Overall, 7.6% of patients were prescribed ≥ 3 SABA canisters (defined as over-prescription). In patients prescribed SABA in addition to maintenance therapy, 47.4% were over-prescribed SABA. Most patients (95.4%) were prescribed a fixed-dose combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting β2-agonist as maintenance therapy. Although asthma was well-controlled/partly-controlled in 91.6% of patients, 29.6% experienced ≥ 1 severe asthma exacerbation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>SABA over-prescription was reported in nearly 50% of patients prescribed SABA in addition to maintenance therapy, underscoring the need to align clinical practices with the latest evidence-based recommendations and educate physicians and patients on appropriate SABA use.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"123-136"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790050/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138499864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hanna Park, Ji Hyun Lee, Seung-Ki Kwok, Ji Hyeon Ju, Wan-Uk Kim, Sung-Hwan Park, Jennifer Jooha Lee
{"title":"Characteristics of patients with psoriatic arthritis in Korea: focusing on axial involvement.","authors":"Hanna Park, Ji Hyun Lee, Seung-Ki Kwok, Ji Hyeon Ju, Wan-Uk Kim, Sung-Hwan Park, Jennifer Jooha Lee","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.044","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>We aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in Korean patients focusing on PsA with axial involvement.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective medical chart review was performed to identify PsA patients at a single tertiary center. Cases of AS patients with psoriasis were recruited from a prospective AS registry of the same center. Demographics, laboratory findings, and radiologic characteristics were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 69 PsA patients were identified. In PsA patients, spondylitis (46.4%) was the most common form. Compared to AS patients with psoriasis, PsA patients with radiographic axial involvement were older (50.9 vs. 32.4 years; p < 0.001) and showed greater peripheral disease activity (peripheral arthritis 78.1 vs. 12.5%, p < 0.001; enthesitis 50.0 vs. 6.3%, p = 0.003). AS patients with psoriasis presented a higher rate of HLA-B*27 positivity (81.3 vs. 17.2%; p < 0.001) and a more frequent history of inflammatory back pain (100.0 vs. 75.0%; p = 0.039) than PsA patients with radiographic axial involvement. Significant proportions of PsA patients with radiographic axial involvement had cervical spine involvement (10/18, 55.6%) and spondylitis without sacroiliitis (10/23, 43.5%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We demonstrate that axial involvement is common in Korean PsA patients, and its characteristics can be distinct from those of AS.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"184-193"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138799434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effects of remdesivir on mortality and the requirement for mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review stratified by disease severity.","authors":"Seungeun Ryoo, Miyoung Choi, Su-Yeon Yu, Young Kyung Yoon, Kyungmin Huh, Eun-Jeong Joo","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.357","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.357","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>The effectiveness of remdesivir treatment in reducing mortality and the requirement for mechanical ventilation (MV) remains uncertain, as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have produced conflicting results.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and other data resources to find RCTs published prior to April 10, 2023. The selection of studies, assessment of risk of bias, and meta-analysis were conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and the need to initiate MV.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 5,068 articles were screened, from eight RCTs comprising 11,945 patients. The meta-analysis found that, compared to standard care or placebo, remdesivir treatment provided no significant all-cause mortality benefit (pooled risk ratio [RR], 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.02; 8 studies; high certainty evidence), while subgroup analyses revealed a trend towards reduced mortality among patients requiring oxygen but not MV (pooled RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.77-1.00; 6 studies; I2 = 4%). The need to initiate MV (pooled RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.94; 7 studies; moderate certainty evidence) in remdesivir-treated patients was also reduced compared to controls. Remdesivir significantly increased clinical improvement and discharge and significantly reduced serious adverse events.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In this systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs, it was found that remdesivir treatment did not show a substantial decrease in the risk of mortality. However, it was linked to a reduction in the necessity for additional ventilatory support, suggesting remdesivir could be beneficial for COVID-19 patients, particularly those who are not on MV.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"160-171"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139049623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Usefulness of nasal cavity evaluation before high-resolution esophageal manometry in high-risk patients.","authors":"Hyun Jin Min, Jae Yong Park","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.266","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.266","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>A catheter is inserted through the nasal cavity during high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM), which may cause adverse events such as pain or epistaxis. Despite these possible safety considerations, studies on this subject are very limited. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of nasal cavity evaluation before HRM to reduce the risk of adverse events and test failure.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients who underwent HRM after consultation with the ear-nose-throat department for nasal evaluation were retrospectively enrolled between December 2021 and May 2022. The included patients had a previous history of sinonasal disease or surgery or had subjective nasal discomfort. All patients answered the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire, and subjective nasal discomfort was scored using a visual analog scale. Nasal endoscopy and acoustic rhinometry were performed for disease evaluation and volumetric assessment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis included 22 patients with a mean age of 58.9 years. The mean SNOT-22 score was 24.2, and 16 patients (72.7%) complained of subjective nasal obstruction. The HRM catheter was successfully inserted in 20 patients (90.9%), without any significant adverse events. The objective measurement outcomes of acoustic rhinometry and sinus endoscopy did not always correspond to subjective symptoms. Narrowed nasal airways unresponsive to decongestants were observed in two patients with failed catheter insertion.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>To reduce the risk of adverse events and test failure during HRM, a site-specific questionnaire to evaluate nasal obstruction might be helpful. When nasal obstruction is suspected, objective nasal cavity evaluation could be recommended for the safe and successful performance of HRM.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"86-94"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790053/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138463779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hyue Mee Kim, Hack-Lyoung Kim, Myung-A Kim, Hae-Young Lee, Jin Joo Park, Dong-Ju Choi
{"title":"Sex differences in clinical characteristics and long-term outcome in patients with heart failure: data from the KorAHF registry.","authors":"Hyue Mee Kim, Hack-Lyoung Kim, Myung-A Kim, Hae-Young Lee, Jin Joo Park, Dong-Ju Choi","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.288","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.288","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>Sex differences in the prognosis of heart failure (HF) have yielded inconsistent results, and data from Asian populations are even rare. This study aimed to investigate sex differences in clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis among Korean patients with HF.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 5,625 Korean patients hospitalized for acute HF were analyzed using a prospective multi-center registry database. Baseline clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes including HF readmission and death were compared between sexes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Women were older than men and had worse symptoms with higher N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels. Women had a significantly higher proportion of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). There were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality and rate of guideline-directed medical therapies in men and women. During median follow- up of 3.4 years, cardiovascular death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.78; p = 0.014), and composite outcomes of death and HF readmission (adjusted HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.27; p = 0.030) were significantly higher in men than women. When evaluating heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HFpEF separately, men were an independent risk factor of cardiovascular death in patients with HFrEF. Clinical outcome was not different between sexes in HFpEF.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In the Korean multi-center registry, despite having better clinical characteristics, men exhibited a higher risk of all-cause mortality and readmission for HF. The main cause of these disparities was the higher cardiovascular mortality rate observed in men compared to women with HFrEF.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"95-109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790043/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138800222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kang Hee Kim, Bong-Ki Lee, Jeong Hun Seo, Kwang Jin Chun, Byung-Ryul Cho
{"title":"Successful coronary angiography via distal radial access in an 82-year-old male patient with polydactyly.","authors":"Kang Hee Kim, Bong-Ki Lee, Jeong Hun Seo, Kwang Jin Chun, Byung-Ryul Cho","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.196","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.196","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"196-197"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790034/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41155883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mi Ryoung Seo, Jina Yeo, Jun Won Park, Yeon-Ah Lee, Ju Ho Lee, Eun Ha Kang, Seon Mi Ji, Seong-Ryul Kwon, Seong-Kyu Kim, Tae-Jong Kim, Tae-Hwan Kim, Hye Won Kim, Min-Chan Park, Kichul Shin, Sang-Hoon Lee, Eun Young Lee, Hoon Suk Cha, Seung Cheol Shim, Youngim Yoon, Seung Ho Lee, Jun Hong Lim, Han Joo Baek
{"title":"Korean treatment recommendations for patients with axial spondyloarthritis.","authors":"Mi Ryoung Seo, Jina Yeo, Jun Won Park, Yeon-Ah Lee, Ju Ho Lee, Eun Ha Kang, Seon Mi Ji, Seong-Ryul Kwon, Seong-Kyu Kim, Tae-Jong Kim, Tae-Hwan Kim, Hye Won Kim, Min-Chan Park, Kichul Shin, Sang-Hoon Lee, Eun Young Lee, Hoon Suk Cha, Seung Cheol Shim, Youngim Yoon, Seung Ho Lee, Jun Hong Lim, Han Joo Baek","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.194.e1","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.194.e1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"200"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790048/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72015795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Moon Seong Baek, Haegwang Shin, Kang-Mo Gu, Hae In Jung, Won Young Kim, Jae-Woo Jung, Jong-Wook Shin, Sun-Young Jung, Jae-Yeol Kim
{"title":"Sex differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease characteristics: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2018.","authors":"Moon Seong Baek, Haegwang Shin, Kang-Mo Gu, Hae In Jung, Won Young Kim, Jae-Woo Jung, Jong-Wook Shin, Sun-Young Jung, Jae-Yeol Kim","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.036","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is less prevalent in females than males, but it affects mortality in females. There may be sex differences in the clinical characteristics of COPD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset from 2007 to 2018. We compared the clinical characteristics and comorbidities in subjects with COPD according to sex. We adjusted the multivariate logistic regression of lung cancer prevalence according to COPD and sex by age and smoking amount.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Females with COPD tended to be older than males with COPD (64.1 ± 0.4 yr vs. 62.3 ± 0.2 yr, respectively, p < 0.001). Approximately 89% of males with COPD had a smoking history, while 86% of females with COPD were non-smokers (p < 0.001). Household income was lower (p < 0.001) and asthma and overall malignancy were more prevalent in females with COPD than males with COPD (25.5 vs. 11.6%, respectively, p < 0.001; (6.3 vs. 5.4%, respectively, p < 0.001). However, lung cancer was more common in males with COPD than females with COPD (0.9 vs. 0.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Lung cancer prevalence increased in males with moderate COPD compared to subjects without COPD (OR, 4.409; 95% CI, 1.741-9.419).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Females with COPD had a lower smoking rate, household income, and lung cancer prevalence than males with COPD. More active COPD screening is needed for women of low socioeconomic status, even if they do not smoke.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"137-147"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790036/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138800119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alfredo Hierro González, Julio César Fernández Travieso, Yoandy Hernández Casas, Susana Borges González, María de Los Angeles Camacho Morales, Elena Ferrer Batallie, Anaisa Roja Carralera, Yenney Reyes Nuñez, Sarahi Mendoza Castaño, Maytee Robaina García, Diana Margarita Rey Kaba
{"title":"Comparative study of the efficacy and safety of Abexol (suspension versus tablets) in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.","authors":"Alfredo Hierro González, Julio César Fernández Travieso, Yoandy Hernández Casas, Susana Borges González, María de Los Angeles Camacho Morales, Elena Ferrer Batallie, Anaisa Roja Carralera, Yenney Reyes Nuñez, Sarahi Mendoza Castaño, Maytee Robaina García, Diana Margarita Rey Kaba","doi":"10.3904/kjim.2023.123","DOIUrl":"10.3904/kjim.2023.123","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>Abexol is a mixture of primary aliphatic alcohols purified from beeswax (Apis mellifera), that produces anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and gastroprotective effects, as well as it is safe and well tolerated. To investigate and compare the efficacy and safety of Abexol (suspension versus tablets) in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Monocentric study, open-label, randomized design, with two parallel groups receiving Abexol tablets (150 mg/d) or Abexol suspension (75 mg/d) for 8 weeks. Primary efficacy variable (significant improvement in the total score of Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale [GSRS]). Significant reduction in the intensity of the gastrointestinal-symptoms and the reduction in the consumption of antacids are considered secondary efficacy variable. Short form-36 (SF-36) quality of life questiongenonaire was evaluated as collateral variable. Data were analyzed as per intention to treat.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A significantly decrease in the overall score of the survey was observed with respect to the baseline level (p < 0.001) of 81.4% in the Abexol suspension group and 77.9% in the Abexol tablets group. At the end of the trial, most gastrointestinal- symptoms disappeared or reduced significantly. The frequency of consumption of neutralizing antacids was low. The significantly improvement in the perception of the state of health obtained in the Abexol is in correspondence with the improvement achieved in some of the components evaluate in the SF-36 questionnaire. Both treatments were safe and well tolerated.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Abexol suspension showed efficacy and safety similar to Abexol tablets in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, but using half the dose.</p>","PeriodicalId":48785,"journal":{"name":"Korean Journal of Internal Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"57-67"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10790039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138463731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}