Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the leading worldwide causes of childhood morbidity and mortality. Its disease burden varies by age and etiology and is time dependent. We aimed to investigate the annual and seasonal patterns in etiologies of pediatric CAP requiring hospitalization. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in 30,994 children (aged 0-18 years) with CAP between 2010 and 2015 at 23 nationwide hospitals in South Korea. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia was clinically classified as macrolide-sensitive MP, macrolide-less effective MP (MLEP), and macrolide-refractory MP (MRMP) based on fever duration after initiation of macrolide treatment, regardless of the results of in vitro macrolide sensitivity tests. Results: MP and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were the two most commonly identified pathogens of CAP. With the two epidemics of MP pneumonia (2011 and 2015), the rates of clinical MLEP and MRMP pneumonia showed increasing trends of 36.4% of the total MP pneumonia. In children < 2 years of age, RSV (34.0%) was the most common cause of CAP, followed by MP (9.4%); however, MP was the most common cause of CAP in children aged 2-18 years of age (45.3%). Systemic corticosteroid was most commonly administered for MP pneumonia. The rate of hospitalization in intensive care units was the highest for RSV pneumonia, and ventilator care was most commonly needed in cases of adenovirus pneumonia.

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Information about the epidemiology of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is likely to be crucial for predicting future disease progression and establishing a health care budget. We investigated the incidence and prevalence of DFU and PAD in Korea. In addition, we examined costs of treatments for DFU and PAD. This study was conducted using data from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2016. The incidence of DFU with PAD was 0.58% in 2012 and 0.49% in 2016. The prevalence of DFU with PAD was 1.7% in 2011 to 1.8% in 2016. The annual amputation rate of DFU with PAD was 0.95% in 2012 and 1.10% in 2016. Major amputation was decreased, while minor amputation was increased. The direct cost of each group was increased, especially the limb saving group. which was increased from 296 million dollars in 2011 to 441 million dollars in 2016. The overall incidence of DFU with PAD was about 0.5% of total population in Korea, from 2012 to 2016. Furthermore, costs for treatments of diabetic foot ulcer are increasing, especially those for the limb saving group.

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Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MP) is a major cause of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and it is known to be associated with extrapulmonary manifestations (EPM). The incidence and risk factors of EPM in children are not known.Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 65,243 pediatric CAP patients between 2010 and 2015 at 23 nationwide hospitals was conducted in South Korea. The medical records were reviewed to collect the information regarding the clinical characteristics, radiological results, and laboratory findings. In total, 9,190 children with MP were identified and included in the analysis. Logistic regression with multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors associated with EPM in MP.Results: The mean age of the enrolled patients with MP was 64.3±39.8 months, and the proportion of male patients was 49.5%. The incidence of EPM was 23.9% and included elevation of liver enzymes (18.1%), mucocutaneous manifestations (4.4%), proteinuria (4.1%), cardiovascular and neurologic manifestation (0.4%), hematologic manifestation (0.2%) and arthritis (0.2%). Statistical analysis showed that mucocutaneous manifestations were significantly increased with elevated alanine aminotransferase (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.623, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.933-6.790) and atopic sensitization (aOR 2.973, 95% CI 1.615-5.475) and decreased with respiratory virus co-infection (aOR 0.273, 95% CI 0.084-0.887). Elevated liver enzymes was significantly associated with the elevation of lactate dehydrogenase (aOR 3.055, 95% CI 2.257-4.137) and presence of pleural effusion (aOR 2.635, 95% CI 1.767-3.930) and proteinuria with respiratory virus co-infection (aOR 2.245, 95% CI 1.113-4.527). Conclusions: About 24% of pediatric MP patients were identified with various EPM. Since risk factors associated with each EPM was different, it is necessary to evaluate the various clinical aspects and findings of MP to predict and prepare for the occurrence of EPM.