Clinical Study on Admission Patients of North Korean Refugees at a Department of
Korean Internal Medicine

Park, So-im; Cho, A-ram; Kang, Da-hyun; Kim, Jin-won

The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine > Volume 35(4); 2014 > Article

Original Article

The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine 2014;35(4): 407-415.

1개 한방병원 한방내과에 입원한 북한이탈주민 환자에 대한 임상적 분석

박소임¹, 조아람², 강다현³, 김진원¹

¹국립중앙의료원 한방내과
²국립중앙의료원 한방신경정신과
³국립중앙의료원 침구과

Clinical Study on Admission Patients of North Korean Refugees at a Department of Korean Internal Medicine

So-im Park¹, A-ram Cho², Da-hyun Kang³, Jin-won Kim¹

¹National Medical Center Dept. of Korean Internal Medicine
²National Medical Center Dept. of Korean Neurophychiatry
³National Medical Center Dept. of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine

Correspondence

Jin-won Kim ,Tel: 02-2260-7467, Fax: 02-2260-7464, Email: sandman10@hanmail.net

Published online: December 30, 2014.

ABSTRACT

Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the health status of hospitalized North Korean refugees in a department of Korean internal medicine.

Methods:
From March 1st, 2011 to June 30th, 2014, 57 North Korean refugee patients were hospitalized 96 times in a department of Korean internal medicine. Their demographic and medical information was approached retrospectively.

Results:
Among the 57 North Korean refugees, 46 (80.7%) were women, 11 (19.3%) were men and their average age was 49.7. Except for 3 people, the other 54 (94.7%) have been to an outpatient hospital of Department of Western Medicine, National Medical Center. Orthopedics, Neurology and Gastroenterology were most frequently visited and hospitalized. Among the total 96 times of hospitalization in a Department of Korean internal medicine, low back pain was the majority chief complaint. Among the 96, 78 (80.4%) took herbal medicine and tonifying and replenishing formula (補益劑) was most frequently prescribed. As western medication, 32 (33.0%) took ones related to the musculo-skeletal system and 30 (31.0%) took ones related to the nervous system. Qi stasis was highest among 8 types of pattern identification and Deficiency pattern (虛症) was more frequent than Excess pattern (實證).

Conclusions:
There are several factors that have aggravated the health status of North Korean refugees, and Korean medicine can perform a proper role to improve their health.

Key words: North Korean refugee, Korean medicine, retrospective study, health status