J Prev Med Public Health.
2018 Mar;51(2):109-120. 10.3961/jpmph.17.145.
An Analysis of Infectious Disease Research Trends in Medical Journals From North Korea
- Affiliations
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- 1Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
- 4Institute for Health and Unification Studies, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. hyshin@snu.ac.kr
- 5Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- KMID: 2410869
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.17.145
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to investigate the current status of infectious disease research in North Korea by analyzing recent trends in medical journals from North Korea in comparison with research from South Korea.
METHODS
Three medical journals (Preventive Medicine, Basic Medicine, and Chosun Medicine) were analyzed from 2012 to 2016. Articles on tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and parasitic diseases were selected and classified by their subtopics and study areas. Two medical journals published in the South Korea were selected for a comparative analysis of research trends.
RESULTS
Of the 2792 articles that were reviewed, 93 were extracted from North Korea journals. TB research in North Korea was largely focused on multi-drug resistant TB and extrapulmonary TB, whereas research in South Korea more frequently investigated non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Research on parasitic diseases in North Korea was focused on protozoan and intestinal nematodes, while the corresponding South Korea research investigated various species of parasites. Additionally, the studies conducted in North Korea were more likely to investigate the application of traditional medicine to diagnosis and treatment than those conducted in South Korea.
CONCLUSIONS
This study presents an analysis of research trends in preventive medicine in North Korea focusing on infectious diseases, in which clear differences were observed between South and North Korea. Trends in research topics suggest a high prevalence of certain parasitic diseases in North Korea that are no longer widespread in South Korea. The large proportion of studies examining traditional medicine implies a lack of affordable medicine in North Korea.
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