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To introduce the Korean Database of Cerebral Palsy (KDCP) and to provide the first report on characteristics of subjects with cerebral palsy (CP).
The KDCP is a nationwide database of subjects with CP, which includes a total of 773 subjects. Characteristics such as demography, birth history, onset and type of CP, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, functional ability and accompanying impairments, were extracted and analyzed.
Preterm delivery and low birth weight were found in 59.51% and 60.28% of subjects, respectively. Postnatally acquired CP was 15.3%. The distribution of CP was 87.32%, 5.17%, and 1.81% for spastic, dyskinetic, and ataxic types, respectively. Functional ability was the worst in dyskinetic CP, as compared to other types of CP. Speech-language disorder (43.9%), ophthalmologic impairment (32.9%), and intellectual disability (30.3%) were the three most common accompanying impairments. The number of accompanying impairments was elevated in subjects with preterm birth and low birth weight. Brain MRI showed normal findings, malformations, and non-malformations in 10.62%, 9.56%, and 77.35% of subjects, respectively. Subjects with normal MRI findings had better functional ability than subjects with other MRI findings. MRI findings of a non-malformation origin, such as periventricular leukomalacia, were more common in subjects with preterm birth and low birth weight.
The KDCP and its first report are introduced in this report, wherein the KDCP established agreement on terminologies of CP. This study added information on the characteristics of subjects with CP in South Korea, which can now be compared to those of other countries and ethnicities.
Citations
To investigate the length of hospital stay (LOS) after stroke using the database of the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service.
We matched the data of patients admitted for ischemic stroke onset within 7 days in the Departments of Neurology of 12 hospitals to the data from the database of the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. We recruited 3,839 patients who were hospitalized between January 2011 and December 2011, had a previous modified Rankin Scale of 0, and no acute hospital readmission after discharge. The patients were divided according to the initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score (mild, ≤5; moderate, >5 and ≤13; severe, >13); we compared the number of hospitals that admitted patients and LOS after stroke according to severity, age, and sex.
The mean LOS was 115.6±219.0 days (median, 19.4 days) and the mean number of hospitals was 3.3±2.1 (median, 2.0). LOS was longer in patients with severe stroke (mild, 65.1±146.7 days; moderate, 223.1±286.0 days; and severe, 313.2±336.8 days). The number of admitting hospitals was greater for severe stroke (mild, 2.9±1.7; moderate, 4.3±2.6; and severe, 4.5±2.4). LOS was longer in women and shorter in patients less than 65 years of age.
LOS after stroke differed according to the stroke severity, sex, and age. These results will be useful in determining the appropriate LOS after stroke in the Korean medical system.
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