{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,2]],"date-time":"2025-11-02T04:34:35Z","timestamp":1762058075630,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,22]],"date-time":"2022-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1658448000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003725","name":"National Research Foundation of Korea","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NRF-2021-R1C1C1004986","NRF-2020-R1G1A1005390"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NRF-2021-R1C1C1004986","NRF-2020-R1G1A1005390"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003725","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The implementation of precautionary measures, such as wearing a mask and social distancing, may have affected allergic diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to compare the numbers of medical visits for allergic diseases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database. Monthly numbers of patients for four allergic diseases, i.e., allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma, atopic dermatitis (AD), and allergic conjunctivitis (AC), were evaluated using ICD-10 codes and compared between the \u2018before COVID-19\u2019 period from January 2018 to February 2020, and the \u2018during COVID-19\u2019 period from March 2020 to June 2021, since the first COVID-19 patient was detected on 20 January 2020, in Korea. Subgroup analyses were performed according to age and sex. The mean numbers of medical visits for AR and asthma were significantly greater before COVID-19 than those during COVID-19 (both p &lt; 0.001). The variance in the number of medical visits for asthma decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the mean number of medical visits for AD increased slightly during COVID-19 and that for AC did not change before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In subgroup analyses, the results showed a similar pattern to that of the total number of participants, regardless of age and sex. In conclusion, medical visits for AR and asthma significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of age and sex.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm11154266","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,22]],"date-time":"2022-07-22T12:53:45Z","timestamp":1658494425000},"page":"4266","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Changes in the Mean and Variance of the Numbers of Medical Visits for Allergic Diseases before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1655-9549","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyo Geun","family":"Choi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Korea"},{"name":"Hallym Data Science Laboratory, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joo-Hee","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yong-Hwi","family":"An","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University College of Medicine, Seoul 01830, Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Min Woo","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul 05355, Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6513-7011","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jee Hye","family":"Wee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"648","DOI":"10.1111\/all.14453","article-title":"COVID-19 pandemic: Practical considerations on the organization of an allergy clinic\u2014An EAACI\/ARIA Position Paper","volume":"76","author":"Pfaar","year":"2021","journal-title":"Allergy"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"709","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaip.2020.11.038","article-title":"The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on adult and pediatric allergy & immunology services in the UK National Health Service","volume":"9","author":"Krishna","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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