| Clinical Characteristics of Defectors from North Korea Visiting a Single Tertiary Hospital in South Korea |
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Sun Young Ann, Sung Hyeok Ryou, Suk Bae Kim |
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Department of Internal Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea |
| 단일 3차 의료기관에 내원한 탈북자 환자들의 임상적 특징 |
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안선영, 류성혁, 김석배 |
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단국대학교 의과대학 내과학교실 |
Correspondence:
Suk Bae Kim, Tel: +82-41-550-3910, Fax: +82-41-556-3256, Email: dryakson@hanmail.net
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Received: 27 January 2015 • Revised: 24 February 2014 • Accepted: 23 March 2015 |
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| This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
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| Abstract |
Background/Aims
There are increasing numbers of North Korean defectors, and their health status differs from that of the South Korean population. This study was performed to investigate the clinical characteristics of North Korean defectors visiting a single tertiary hospital in South Korea.
Methods
The medical records of North Korean defectors who visited Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan, South Korea from 1 February 2006 to 30 April 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Their comorbidities, main reasons for the visit, and most common diseases were investigated.
Results
A total of 169 North Korean defectors (163 females, 6 males) visited our hospital. Sixty-eight patients (40.24%) had comorbidities, the most common of which was tuberculosis (13.60%), followed by chronic hepatitis B (10.06%) and chronic hepatitis C (9.47%). North Korean refugees visited the department of ophthalmology (15.71%) most frequently, followed by gastroenterology (15.18%). Cataracts, chronic hepatitis C, chronic hepatitis B, and pulmonary tuberculosis were the most common reasons for the hospital visit. Chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C were diagnosed in 19.32% and 17.58% of the patients, respectively. Sixteen patients (9.47%) were diagnosed with tuberculosis, and eight of these patients showed multidrug resistance. Of all 169 patients, 17 underwent colonofibroscopy or stool examination, and parasites (Trichuris trichiura, n = 6; Clonorchis sinensis, n = 1) were found in 7 patients (41.18%).
Conclusions
Most North Korean defectors who visited this tertiary hospital in South Korea were female, and they mainly visited the departments of ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and pulmonology. Compared with South Koreans, they showed high rates of chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, pulmonary tuberculosis with multidrug resistance, and parasite infection. |
| Key Words:
North Korean defectors; Tuberculosis; Hepatitis B, Chronic; Hepatitis C, Chronic; Parasites |
| 주제어:
탈북자; 결핵; 만성 B형 간염; 만성 C형 간염; 기생충 |
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