Changes in the Mean and Variance of the Numbers of Medical Visits for Allergic Diseases before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea

Choi, Hyo Geun; Kim, Joohee; An, Yong-Hwi; Park, Min Woo; Wee, Jee Hye

doi:10.3390/jcm11154266

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Additionally, the study period coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially biasing our results. However, the present study included patients both before (until 29 February 2020) and during COVID-19 (from 1 March 2020) [ 30 ], with the prevalence of CRS being 21.2% (181/853) before COVID-19 and 15.8% (148/936) during COVID-19, so the impact is expected to be minimal. Potential sources of bias in the evaluation of CRS include interobserver variability (minimized by employing two independent otolaryngology specialists) and the tendency of MRI grading to overestimate mucosal thickening and sinusitis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Side- and Sinus-Specific Relationships between Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Ischemic Stroke Using Imaging Analyses

Cho,

Park,

Kim

et al. 2024

Diagnostics

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Recent studies have reported chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) as an independent risk factor for stroke. However, the association with stroke depending on the affected sinuses has not been explored. This study aimed to elucidate the side- and sinus-specific relationship between CRS and ischemic stroke through imaging analyses. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with ischemic stroke at a tertiary center. CRS was defined as having a total score of greater than or equal to 4, according to the Lund–Mackay scoring system, through brain magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. We investigated the side- and sinus-specific correlation between CRS and ischemic stroke. Subgroup analyses were performed for different age groups. CRS prevalence in patients with ischemic stroke was 18.4%, which was higher than the previously reported prevalence in the general population. Overall, there was no correlation between the directions of the CRS and ischemic stroke (p > 0.05). When each sinus was analyzed, the frontal (Cramer’s V = 0.479, p < 0.001), anterior (Cramer’s V = 0.396, p < 0.001)/posterior (Cramer’s V = 0.300, p = 0.008) ethmoid, and sphenoid (Cramer’s V = 0.383, p = 0.005) sinuses showed a statistically significant correlation with the side of stroke, but the maxillary sinus (Cramer’s V = 0.138, p = 0.208) did not. In subgroup analyses, a significant right-side correlation between the two diseases was observed in the older-age subgroup (≥65 years old, Cramer’s V = 0.142, p = 0.040). Diabetes mellitus (odds ratio = 1.596, 95% confidence interval = 1.204–2.116) was identified as an independent risk factor for having CRS in patients with ischemic stroke. CRS of the frontal, anterior/posterior ethmoid, and sphenoid sinuses has a directional relationship with ischemic stroke. Our results on which sinuses correlate with stroke advocate for the active surveillance of CRS in patients at high risk of ischemic stroke.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Side- and Sinus-Specific Relationships between Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Ischemic Stroke Using Imaging Analyses

Cho,

Park,

Kim

et al. 2024

Diagnostics

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“…One possible explanation for decreased rates of asthma prevalence could be attributed to fewer hospital visits in Korea regarding asthma overall. [29] The most common explanation for this decrease is that individuals feared contracting COVID-19, which led to less healthcare seeking behavior. However, it has been shown in European countries that this is unlikely since mortality from asthma did not increase, which would have been expected if patients avoided care due to fear.…”

Section: Global Epidemiology and Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in prevalence of asthma and COVID-19 pandemic-related factors in South Korea: a post-hoc analysis

Nguyen,

Park,

Kattih

et al. 2024

Life Cycle

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Objective: There are only a few studies investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of asthma, especially between different age groups. Thus, we aimed to examine the trends of age-stratified asthma prevalence in South Koreans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This study utilized data derived from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) between 1998 and 2021. The objective of our study was to investigate the annual change associated with asthma, over a period of 24 years from 1998 to 2021.Results: From 1998-2021, a total of 206,687 subjects participated in the KNHANES surveys. Asthma prevalence in Korean increased in the pre-pandemic era (from 1.61% to 2.92% from 1998 to 2019) but decreased significantly during the pandemic (from 2.83% to 2.97% from 2020 to 2021). Overall, only changes in asthma prevalence in school age children and adults (19-39 years) decreased after including data from years during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 0.12% [95% CI, 0.08 to 0.15] to 0.09% [95% CI, 0.02 to 0.16] and from 0.13% [95% CI, 0.10 to 0.16] to 0.11% [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.16], respectively). Conclusions:In this study of asthma prevalence in the age-stratified Korean population, both asthma prevalence trends and annual percent changes differed amongst the different age groups before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asthma prevalence decreased for preschool and school-aged children, while no clear trends were observed in adults. These results help improve our understanding of asthma prevalence trends in different generations of the Korean population and highlight the need for further investigation of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Previous studies have shown that during the COVID-19 global pandemic, there has been a decrease in allergic rhinitis symptoms among patients 2,6,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] This can be attributed to two possible reasons: first, the reduced exposure to allergens because of the COVID-19 lockdown and avoidance of crowded places. Second, the use of face masks as per COVID-19 safety guidelines.…”

Section: Symptoms Of Allergic Rhinitis Domainmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional survey on the experience of people with allergic rhinitis amidst COVID-19 pandemic: The impact of the facemask: A pilot study

Mazrouei,

Elnour,

Hajal

et al. 2023

PHARMPRACT

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Background: Since outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, almost whole world asked to wear the facemask especially in the public areas as a precaution to avoid the transmission of the disease, and curbs the pandemic. Looking from another perspective, we need to consider the effect of the facemask in reducing allergic rhinitis symptoms. Objective: The current study objective was to assess the impact of facemasks on the symptoms of allergic rhinitis in subjects who were obligatory using facemask due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The current study was ethically approved self-administered validated survey (Cronbach Alfa 0.81) comprised of 28-items to assess the impact of wearing the facemask, and whether there was an improvement in symptoms of allergic rhinitis. The outcome measure was the responses to the four domains (knowledge, attitude, symptoms, and help/advice) measured on Likert scale to assess the responses of subjects with allergic rhinitis during the COVID -19 pandemic. Results: 82 respondents (mean age was 22.59 ±2.77 years) have completed the survey, of which 73 females (89%) and (52/82, 63.4%) university students. 29 (35.4%), stated that the fabric facemask is useful in reduction of symptoms. 44 (53.7%) believe that the surgical mask N95 is very beneficial in the reduction of symptoms. There was a significant difference in knowledge levels for both eye and nasal symptoms' reduction responses (P <0.001). Tukey's HSD (honestly significant difference) used to determine the specifics of the variances (differences in multiple means) in symptom reduction. For eye symptoms, the analysis revealed that respondents who reported that they had reduced symptoms had higher knowledge scores (6.74±2.7) than those who reported no reduction in allergic symptoms (mean ±SD: 4.96±3.2). The lowest score was associated with respondents that were uncertain regarding their symptom alleviation (mean ±SD: 4.53±3.1). For nasal symptoms, the analysis revealed that respondents who reported that they had reduced symptoms had higher knowledge scores (7.03±2.7) than those who reported no reduction in allergic symptoms (3.94±2.5). Conclusion: Our results reveal that facemask usage may reduce allergic rhinitis symptom severity in chronically affected individuals with intermittent disease. The study supports the hypothesis that facemask may reduce atopic allergic responses.

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Changes in the Mean and Variance of the Numbers of Medical Visits for Allergic Diseases before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Side- and Sinus-Specific Relationships between Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Ischemic Stroke Using Imaging Analyses

Side- and Sinus-Specific Relationships between Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Ischemic Stroke Using Imaging Analyses

Trends in prevalence of asthma and COVID-19 pandemic-related factors in South Korea: a post-hoc analysis

A cross-sectional survey on the experience of people with allergic rhinitis amidst COVID-19 pandemic: The impact of the facemask: A pilot study

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