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Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) in Korean children, 5-13 years of age, and to assess the associated factors for OAB. Methods: A randomly selected cross-section study was conducted in 26 kindergartens and 27 elementary schools nationwide in Korea. A total of 19 240 children were included; a parent was asked to complete the questionnaires, which included items about OAB and voiding and defecating habits. OAB was defined as urgency with or without urge incontinence, usually with increased daytime frequency and nocturia (International Children''s Continence Society, 2006). Its prevalence and associated factors were also investigated. Results: The response rate for the questionnaires was 85.84%. The overall prevalence of OAB was 16.59%. The prevalence of OAB decreased with age from 22.99% to 12.16% (P = .0001). The overall incidence of wet and dry OAB was 26.97% and 73.03%, respectively. Compared with normal children, those with OAB had a greater prevalence of nocturnal enuresis, constipation, fecal incontinence, urinary tract infection, delayed bladder control, and poor toilet facilities (P < .05). The incidence of increased daytime frequency and urge incontinence was 3.69% and 2.31% (P = .009) and 26.97% and 14.78% (P = .0001) in OAB and non-OAB children, respectively. The corresponding prevalence decreased with age from 5.04% to 3.06% and from 45.74% to 18.50% in OAB children (P = .0001). Conclusions: The overall prevalence of OAB in Korean children, 5-13 years of age, was 16.59% and decreased with age. Nocturnal enuresis, constipation, fecal incontinence, history of urinary tract infection, delayed bladder control, and poor toilet facilities might be factors associated with the development of OAB. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background:  The stroke severity or functional outcomes could differ because the efficacy of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) could be different according to the dose. We investigated whether there was any difference in the stroke outcomes in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) by their prior medication status, including standard-dosed versus under-dosed NOACs., Materials and Methods:  We enrolled 858 patients with acute ischaemic stroke with chronic NVAF admitted at six hospitals in Korea. We categorized their prior medication status as follows: (1) no anti-thrombotics ( n  = 219), (2) only anti-platelet ( n  = 347), (3) warfarin with a sub-therapeutic intensity ( n  = 185), (4) warfarin with a therapeutic intensity ( n  = 37), (5) under-dosed NOAC ( n  = 27) and (6) standard-dosed NOAC ( n  = 43). We compared the initial stroke severity between groups., Results:  Among the 858 patients, the patients on standard-dosed NOACs had the lowest initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, followed by those on warfarin with a therapeutic intensity and those on only anti-platelet ( p  < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NIHSS score was significantly low in the patients on warfarin with a therapeutic intensity ( B , -5.602; 95% confidence interval [CI], -8.636 to -2.568; p  < 0.001) or those on standard-dosed NOACs ( B , -3.588; 95% CI, -6.405 to -0.771; p  = 0.013), while there was no difference in the NIHSS score between the patients not taking any anti-thrombotics and those on warfarin with a sub-therapeutic intensity or under-dosed NOACs., Conclusion:  Use of warfarin with a therapeutic intensity or standard-dosed NOACs was associated with a relatively mild stroke in the patients with NVAF., Competing Interests: None., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Purpose: Koreans have been undergoing rapid lifestyle changes that may have an effect on patterns of cerebral artery atherosclerosis. This study was aimed at determining the frequency and distribution of atherosclerosis in the cerebral arteries and associated temporal changes over the past eight-year period among Korean stroke patients., Materials and Methods: By using stroke registry data registered between April 1999 and March 2007, we investigated the presence, severity, and location of cerebral artery atherosclerosis as determined by angiographic findings. Their annual patterns and association with vascular risk factors were investigated., Results: Of 1,955 patients, 1,517 patients (77.6%) demonstrated atherosclerosis in one or more arteries. A significantly increasing trend of atherosclerosis was observed during the past eight years, which was ascribed to an increase of combined extracranial (EC) and intracranial (IC) atherosclerosis. The number of atherosclerotic arteries increased as the number of risk factors increased. In the multivariate analysis, the year and vascular risk factors were independent predictors of the presence of atherosclerosis., Conclusion: We found that the atherosclerotic burden has been increasing for the past eight years in Korean stroke patients, particularly the combined EC and IC subtype. Lifestyle changes and increase in vascular risk factors may be contributing factors.