Use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and the subsequent risk of herpes zoster in older adults

Rheumatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahui Qian ◽  
Marissa Nichole Lassere ◽  
Anita Elizabeth Heywood ◽  
Bette Liu

Abstract Objectives To examine the association between DMARD use and subsequent risk of herpes zoster in a large, heterogeneous, and prospective population-based cohort. Methods Using data from a cohort of adults (45 and Up Study) recruited between 2006 and 2009 and linked to pharmaceutical, hospital and death data (2004–2015), the effect of DMARD use on zoster risk was analysed using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities and corticosteroid use. Results Among 254 065 eligible participants, over 1,826 311 person-years follow-up, there were 6295 new DMARD users and 17 024 incident herpes zoster events. Compared with non-users, the risk of zoster was higher in those who used bDMARDs, either alone or in combination with csDMARDs than in those who only used csDMARDs (adjusted hazard ratios, aHR 2.53 [95% confidence interval, CI 2.03–3.16]) for bDMARDs vs 1.48 [95%CI 1.33–1.66] for csDMARDs, p-heterogeneity < 0.001; reference: non-users). Among users of csDMARDs, compared with non-users, zoster risks were highest in those using exclusively cyclophosphamide (aHR 2.69 [95%CI 1.89–3.83]), more moderate in those using azathioprine (aHR 1.57 [95%CI 1.07–2.30]) and hydroxychloroquine (aHR 1.43 [95%CI 1.11–1.83]) and not elevated in users of methotrexate (aHR 1.24 [95%CI 0.98–1.57]), sulfasalazine (aHR 1.00 [95%CI 0.71–1.42]) and leflunomide (aHR 0.41 [95%CI 0.06–2.88]). Conclusions The risk of zoster was high among bDMARD and cyclophosphamide users. Also, the risk was increased in those using hydroxychloroquine alone and in combination with methotrexate but not methotrexate alone. Preventative strategies such as zoster vaccination or antiviral therapies should be considered in these populations if not contraindicated.

Author(s):  
Thomas J Littlejohns ◽  
Shabina Hayat ◽  
Robert Luben ◽  
Carol Brayne ◽  
Megan Conroy ◽  
...  

Abstract Visual impairment has emerged as a potential modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, there are a lack of large studies with objective measures of vison and with more than ten years of follow-up. We investigated whether visual impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia in UK Biobank and EPIC-Norfolk. In both cohorts, visual acuity was measured using a “logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution” (LogMAR) chart and categorised as no (≤0.30 LogMAR), mild (>0.3 - ≤0.50 LogMAR), and moderate to severe (>0.50 LogMAR) impairment. Dementia was ascertained through linkage to electronic medical records. After restricting to those aged ≥60 years, without prevalent dementia and with eye measures available, the analytic samples consisted of 62,206 UK Biobank and 7,337 EPIC-Norfolk participants, respectively. In UK Biobank and EPIC-Norfolk. respectively, 1,113 and 517 participants developed dementia over 11 and 15 years of follow-up. Using multivariable cox proportional-hazards models, the hazard ratios for mild and moderate to severe visual impairment were 1.26 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.92-1.72) and 2.16 (95% CI 1.37-3.40), in UK Biobank, and 1.05 (95% CI 0.72-1.53) and 1.93 (95% CI 1.05-3.56) in EPIC-Norfolk, compared to no visual impairment. When excluding participants censored within 5 years of follow-up or with prevalent poor or fair self-reported health, the direction of the associations remained similar for moderate impairment but were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest visual impairment might be a promising target for dementia prevention, however the possibility of reverse causation cannot be excluded.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (10) ◽  
pp. 1562-1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Oude Griep ◽  
W. M. Monique Verschuren ◽  
Daan Kromhout ◽  
Marga C. Ocké ◽  
Johanna M. Geleijnse

The colours of the edible part of fruit and vegetables indicate the presence of specific micronutrients and phytochemicals. The extent to which fruit and vegetable colour groups contribute to CHD protection is unknown. We therefore examined the associations between fruit and vegetables of different colours and their subgroups and 10-year CHD incidence. We used data from a prospective population-based cohort including 20 069 men and women aged 20–65 years who were enrolled between 1993 and 1997. Participants were free of CVD at baseline and completed a validated 178-item FFQ. Hazard ratios (HR) for the association between green, orange/yellow, red/purple, white fruit and vegetables and their subgroups with CHD were calculated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. During 10 years of follow-up, 245 incident cases of CHD were documented. For each 25 g/d increase in the intake of the sum of all four colours of fruit and vegetables, a borderline significant association with incident CHD was found (HR 0·98; 95 % CI 0·97, 1·01). No clear associations were found for the colour groups separately. However, each 25 g/d increase in the intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables was inversely associated with CHD (HR 0·74; 95 % CI 0·55, 1·00). Carrots, their largest contributor (60 %), were associated with a 32 % lower risk of CHD (HR 0·68; 95 % CI 0·48, 0·98). In conclusion, though no clear associations were found for the four colour groups with CHD, a higher intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables and especially carrots may protect against CHD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 2991-2998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang-Wei Sun ◽  
Xiao-Ou Shu ◽  
Hong-Lan Li ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Jing Gao ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the potential influence of dietary Se intake on mortality among Chinese populations.DesignWe prospectively evaluated all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality risks associated with dietary Se intake in participants of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study (SWHS) and the Shanghai Men’s Health study (SMHS). Dietary Se intake was assessed by validated FFQ during in-person interviews. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI.SettingUrban city in China.SubjectsChinese adults (n 133 957).ResultsDuring an average follow-up of 13·90 years in the SWHS and 8·37 years in the SMHS, 5749 women and 4217 men died. The mean estimated dietary Se intake was 45·48 μg/d for women and 51·34 μg/d for men, respectively. Dietary Se intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality and CVD mortality in both women and men, with respective HR for the highest compared with the lowest quintile being 0·79 (95 % CI 0·71, 0·88; Ptrend<0·0001) and 0·80 (95 % CI 0·66, 0·98; Ptrend=0·0268) for women, and 0·79 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·89; Ptrend=0·0001) and 0·66 (95 % CI 0·54, 0·82; Ptrend=0·0002) for men. No significant associations were observed for cancer mortality in both women and men. Results were similar in subgroup and sensitivity analyses.ConclusionsDietary Se intake was inversely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in both sexes, but not cancer mortality.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Tsujikawa ◽  
Shunsuke Yamada ◽  
Hiroto Hiyamuta ◽  
Masatomo Taniguchi ◽  
Kazuhiko Tsuruya ◽  
...  

AbstractWomen have a longer life expectancy than men in the general population. However, it has remained unclear whether this advantage is maintained in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. The aim of this study was to compare the risk of mortality, especially infection-related mortality, between male and female hemodialysis patients. A total of 3065 Japanese hemodialysis patients aged ≥ 18 years old were followed up for 10 years. The primary outcomes were all-cause and infection-related mortality. The associations between sex and these outcomes were examined using Cox proportional hazards models. During the median follow-up of 8.8 years, 1498 patients died of any cause, 387 of whom died of infection. Compared with men, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for all-cause and infection-related mortality in women were 0.51 (0.45–0.58, P < 0.05) and 0.36 (0.27–0.47, P < 0.05), respectively. These findings remained significant even when propensity score-matching or inverse probability of treatment weighting adjustment methods were employed. Furthermore, even when the non-infection-related mortality was considered a competing risk, the infection-related mortality rate in women was still significantly lower than that in men. Regarding all-cause and infection-related deaths, women have a survival advantage compared with men among Japanese patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (suppl 3) ◽  
pp. s336-s344 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Macinko ◽  
Vitor Camargos ◽  
Josélia O. A. Firmo ◽  
Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa

We use data from a population-based cohort of elderly Brazilians to assess predictors of hospitalizations during ten years of follow-up. Participants were 1,448 persons aged 60 years and over at baseline (1997). The outcome was self-reported number of hospitalizations per year. Slightly more than a fifth (23%) experienced no hospitalizations during the 10 year follow-up. About 30% had 1-2 events, 31% had between 3 and 7 events, and about 18% had 8 or more events during this time. Results of multivariable hurdle and Cox proportional hazards models showed that the risk of hospitalization was positively associated with male sex, increased age, chronic conditions, and visits to the doctors in the previous 12 months. Underweight was a predictor of any hospitalization, while obesity was an inconsistent predictor of hospitalization.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad Rodu ◽  
Nantaporn Plurphanswat

Abstract Background. Cigars and cigarettes are both smoked, but much less is known about the former’s long-term health effects, due to its low prevalence and infrequent collection of cigar information in national surveys. Purpose. We conducted a follow-up mortality study of cigar-smoking men age 40-79 years in National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS). We utilized Methods. We used pooled NHIS files linked to the National Death Index to obtain follow-up from year of interview to year of death or December 31, 2015. We developed categories of cigarette and cigar smoking that accommodate dual and former use of both products. We used Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, income, health status, body mass index, and region to estimate hazard ratios (HRs, 95% confidence intervals, CI) for mortality from all causes, heart diseases, malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases and two mutually exclusive categories: smoking-related and other diseases.Results. There were 14,628 deaths from all causes, including 3,420 never tobacco users, 3,266 exclusive smokers, and 176 exclusive cigar users. The latter had significantly increased mortality only from chronic lower respiratory diseases (HR = 2.60, CI = 1.04 – 6.50), which was based on 6 deaths. We found no statistically significant evidence among exclusive cigar smokers of increased mortality from any other cause.Conclusions. This study provides evidence that male cigar smokers had elevated mortality risks. However, after accounting for cigarette smoking, we found significantly increased mortality only for chronic lower respiratory diseases.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Gardener ◽  
Ralph L Sacco ◽  
Tatjana Rundek ◽  
Consuelo Mora-McLaughlin ◽  
Ying Kuen Cheung ◽  
...  

Background: An excess incidence of strokes among blacks vs whites has been shown previously, but data on disparities related to Hispanic ethnicity remains limited. This study examines race, ethnic, and sex differences in stroke incidence in the multi-ethnic, yet largely Caribbean Hispanic, Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS). Methods: The study population included participants in the prospective population-based NOMAS, followed for a mean of 13±7 years. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to estimate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (HR, 95%CI) for the association between race/ethnicity and sex with confirmed incident stroke of any subtype and ischemic stroke, stratified by age and adjusting for sociodemographics and vascular risk factors. Results: Among 3,298 participants (mean baseline age 69±10, 37% men, 24% black, 21% white, 52% Hispanic), 477 incident strokes accrued (394 ischemic, 43 ICH, 9 SAH). The most common ischemic subtype was cardioembolic, followed by lacunar infarcts, then cryptogenic. The greatest incidence rate was observed in blacks (13/1000 person-years [PY]), followed by Hispanics (11/1000 PY), and lowest in whites (8/1000 PY), and this order was observed for crude incidence rates until age 75. By age 85 the greatest incidence rate was in Hispanics. Blacks had an increased stroke risk vs whites overall in fully adjusted models (HR=1.37, 95% CI=1.02-1.84), and stratified analyses showed that this disparity was driven by women age ≥70 (HR=1.69, 1.05-2.73). The increased rate of stroke observed for Hispanics (age/sex-adjusted HR=1.50, 1.15-1.94) was largely explained by education and insurance status (a proxy for socieoeconomic status; HR after further adjusting for these variables=1.15, 0.84-1.58), but remained significant for women age ≥70. Men had an increased rate of stroke compared to women (fully adjusted HR=1.48, 1.21-1.81). Conclusions: This study provides novel data regarding the increased stroke risk among Caribbean Hispanics. Results highlight the need to create culturally-tailored campaigns to reach blacks and Hispanic populations to reduce race/ethnic stroke disparities, and support the important role of low socioeconomic status in driving an elevated risk among Caribbean Hispanics.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
Line Lyskjær ◽  
Kim Overvad ◽  
Anne Tjønneland ◽  
Christina C. Dahm

Background and Purpose— Studies indicate that consuming breakfast every day, and particularly oatmeal, is associated with lower risk of stroke. However, few studies have considered replacement foods when considering foods usually consumed at breakfast. We, therefore, aimed to model substitutions between the breakfast food products oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, or white bread and subsequent risk of stroke. Methods— Participants from the Danish cohort study (Diet, Cancer and Health; n=55 095) were followed for 13.4 years, during which 2260 subjects experienced a first-ever stroke. Breakfast foods were assessed using a validated 192-item food-frequency questionnaire at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CIs for associations between hypothetical substitutions of standard portion sizes of breakfast foods and stroke. Results— Modeling replacement of white bread or eggs with oatmeal was associated with a lower rate of total stroke (hazard ratio [HR]=0.96 [95% CI, 0.95–0.98]; HR=0.96 [95% CI, 0.93–0.98], respectively), total ischemic stroke (HR=0.96 [95% CI, 0.94–0.98]; HR=0.96 [95% CI, 0.94–0.99], respectively), and ischemic stroke due to small-artery occlusion (HR=0.95 [95% CI, 0.93–0.98]; HR=0.95 [95% CI, 0.91–0.99], respectively). Furthermore, modeling replacement of eggs with oatmeal was associated with a lower rate of total hemorrhagic stroke (HR=0.94 [95% CI, 0.89–0.99]). Modeling replacement of yogurt with oatmeal was not associated with stroke. Conclusions— Our findings suggest that a diet containing oatmeal instead of white bread or eggs may be associated with a lower rate of stroke.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc N. Jarczok ◽  
Julian Koenig ◽  
Julian F. Thayer

AbstractIn recent clinical practice, a biomarker of vagal neuroimmunomodulation (NIM), namely the ratio of vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) and CRP, was proposed to index the functionality of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. This study aims to transfer and extend the previous findings to two general population-based samples to explore the hypothesis that NIM-ratio is associated with all-cause mortality. Two large population studies (MIDUS 2: N = 1255 and Whitehall II wave 5: N = 7870) with complete data from a total of N = 3860 participants (36.1% females; average age = 56.3 years; 11.1% deaths, last exit 18.1 years post inclusion) were available. NIM indices were calculated using the vagally-mediated HRV measure RMSSD divided by measures of CRP (NIMCRP) or IL-6 (NIMIL6). The NIM-ratios were quartiled and entered into age, ethnicity and body mass index adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. For NIMIL6 the lowest quartile was 45% more likely to die during the observed period (max. 18 years follow-up) compared to the highest quartile (HR = 0.55 CI 0.41–0.73; p < .0001). NIMCRP parallel these results. Here we show that an easily computable index of IL-6 inhibition is associated with all-cause mortality in two large general population samples. These results suggest that this index might be useful for risk stratification and warrant further examination.


Author(s):  
Moongu Song ◽  
Inhwan Lee ◽  
Hyunsik Kang

This study examined the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) without exercise testing and all-cause mortality in Korean older adults. The present study was carried out using data from the 2008 and 2011 Living Profiles of Older People Survey. A total of 14,122 participants aged 60 years and older (57% women) completed the 2008 baseline and 2011 follow-up assessments (i.e., socioeconomic status, health behaviors and conditions, and prevalence of chronic diseases), and they were included for the final analyses. CRF was estimated (eCRF) with sex-specific algorithms and classified as lower (lowest 25%), middle (middle 50%), and upper (highest 25%). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) across eCRF categories. In total, multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% CIs were 1 for the upper eCRF group (referent), 1.059 (0.814~1.378) for the middle eCRF group, and 1.714 (1.304~2.253) for the lower eCRF group. In men, multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% CIs were 1 for the upper eCRF group (referent), 1.011 (0.716~1.427) for the middle eCRF group, and 1.566 (1.098~2.234) for the lower eCRF group. In women, multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% CIs were 1 for the upper eCRF group (referent), 1.064 (0.707~1.602) for the middle eCRF group, and 1.599 (1.032~2.478) for the lower eCRF group. The current findings suggest that eCRF may have an independent predictor of all-cause mortality, underscoring the importance of promoting physical activity to maintain a healthful level of CRF in Korean geriatric population.


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