Association Between Anemia and Dementia: A Nationwide, Populationbased Cohort Study in Taiwan

Background: In addition to the traditional risk predictors, whether anemia is an early biomarker of dementia, needs to be confirmed. Objective: This population-based cohort study aimed to investigate the dementia risk in patients with newly diagnosed anemia using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Methods: All newly diagnosed anemia patients (n = 26,343) with no history of stroke hospitalization, central nervous disease other than dementia, psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injury, major operations, or blood loss diseases, were enrolled. A group of non-anemic controls, 1:4 matched with anemic patients on the basis of demographics and comorbidities, was also included. A competing risk analysis was used to evaluate the dementia risk in anemic patients compared to that of their matched controls. Results: The adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) of dementia risk in anemic patients was 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08~1.21, p<0.001). Patients with iron supplements tended to exhibit a lower dementia risk (adjusted SHR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.75~0.94, p=0.002) compared to patients without iron supplement. A subgroup analysis showed that a positive association between dementia and anemia existed in females, those aged 70 years and older, and patients without hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia. Conclusion: The present population-based cohort study identified that newly diagnosed anemia is a risk factor for dementia and also that iron supplementation was able to reduce the risk of dementia in people with iron deficiency anemia.

Download Full-text

Risk of herpes zoster in psoriasis patients receiving systemic therapies: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-91356-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sze-Wen Ting ◽

Sze-Ya Ting ◽

Yu-Sheng Lin ◽

Ming-Shyan Lin ◽

George Kuo

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Herpes Zoster ◽

Population Based ◽

Research Database ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Taiwan National Health Insurance ◽

Reduced Risk ◽

Systemic Therapies

AbstractThe incidence of herpes zoster in psoriasis patients is higher than in the general population. However, the association between herpes zoster risk and different systemic therapies, especially biologic agents, remains controversial. This study investigated the association between herpes zoster risk and several systemic antipsoriasis therapies. This prospective open cohort study was conducted using retrospectively collected data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We included 92,374 patients with newly diagnosed psoriasis between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2013. The exposure of interest was the “on-treatment” effect of systemic antipsoriasis therapies documented by each person-quarter. The outcome was the occurrence of newly diagnosed herpes zoster. During a mean follow-up of 6.8 years, 4834 (5.2%) patients were diagnosed with herpes zoster after the index date. Among the systemic antipsoriasis therapies, etanercept (hazard ratio [HR] 4.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51–15.17), adalimumab (HR 5.52, 95% CI 1.72–17.71), and methotrexate plus azathioprine (HR 4.17, 95% CI 1.78–9.82) were significantly associated with an increased risk of herpes zoster. By contrast, phototherapy (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.60–0.96) and acitretin (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.24–0.64) were associated with a reduced risk of herpes zoster. Overall, this study identified an association of both etanercept and adalimumab with an increased risk of herpes zoster among psoriasis patients. Acitretin and phototherapy were associated with a reduced risk.

Download Full-text

The Association Between Pleural Empyema and Peripheral Arterial Disease in Younger Patients: A Retrospective National Population-Based Cohort Study

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.621330 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Tzu-Yuan Wang ◽

Hsin-Hung Chen ◽

Chun-Hung Su ◽

Sheng-Pang Hsu ◽

Chun-Wei Ho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Peripheral Arterial Disease ◽

Pleural Empyema ◽

Arterial Disease ◽

Population Based ◽

Rank Test ◽

Research Database ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Using Data ◽

Peripheral Arterial

Background: To investigate the relationship between pleural empyema (PE) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Health Institute Research Database. Univariable and multivariable Cox's proportional hazard regressions were performed to investigate the association between PE and the risk of PAD. Kaplan–Meier method and the differences were assessed using a log-rank test.Results: The overall incidence of PAD was higher in the PE cohort than in the non-PE cohort (2.76 vs. 1.72 per 1,000 person-years) with a crude hazard ratio (HR) of 1.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.41–1.83]. After adjustment for age, gender, and comorbidities, patients with PE were noted to be associated with an increased risk of PAD compared with those without PE [adjusted HR (aHR) = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03–1.35]. Regarding the age-specific comparison between the PE and non-PE cohorts, PAD was noted to be significantly high in the ≤ 49 years age group (aHR = 5.34, 95% CI = 2.34–10.1). The incidence of PAD was higher in the first 2 years, with an aHR of 1.35 (95% CI = 1.09–1.68) for patients with PE compared with those without PE.Conclusion: The risk of PAD was higher if patients with PE were younger than 49 years and within the 2-year diagnosis of PE.

Download Full-text

Association between Anemia and Stroke in Females: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17207440 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (20) ◽

pp. 7440

Author(s):

Yuan Sui ◽

Chien-Tai Hong ◽

Li-Nien Chien ◽

Hung-Yi Liu ◽

Hung-Yi Chiou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Stroke Risk ◽

Medical Condition ◽

Positive Association ◽

Population Based ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Research Database ◽

Female Patients

Optimal stroke prevention strategies for women should take into account specific sex-related stroke risk factors. Anemia is a common medical condition in females, particularly in women of reproductive age. This study investigated whether anemia is an independent risk factor for stroke in females in a population-based cohort study. We investigated newly diagnosed anemic female patients with no history of central nervous system disease, psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injury, major operations or hemorrhagic diseases identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Non-anemic matched controls (1:1) were selected based on a propensity score estimated using a logistic regression model that included demographic characteristics and comorbidities. A competing risk analysis was applied to estimate the stroke risk in anemic patients compared to that of their matched controls. In our study, the adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratios (aSHRs) of overall, hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke in anemic female patients aged <50 years were 1.35 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19–1.52, p < 0.001), 1.31 (95% CI, 1.09-1.56, p < 0.003), and 1.35 (95% CI, 1.15–1.58, p < 0.001), respectively, compared to non-anemic female controls. However, a positive association between anemia and stroke was not found for those aged ≥50 years. Similar results were observed when the follow-up age was limited to 50 years to reduce the potential effects of menopause on stroke. In conclusion, the present population-based cohort study found that anemia is a potential risk factor for overall, hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke in females of reproductive age.

Download Full-text

To Investigate the Risk of Herpes Zoster in Women With Endometriosis: A Taiwan National Population-Based Cohort Study

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.584322 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Chao-Yu Hsu ◽

Der-Shin Ke ◽

Cheng-Li Lin ◽

Chia-Hung Kao

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Herpes Zoster ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Population Based ◽

Research Database ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Loss To Follow Up ◽

Taiwanese Women ◽

Taiwan National Health Insurance

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ) in patients with endometriosis.Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Between 2000 and 2012, women aged ≥20 years with newly diagnosed endometriosis were enrolled into the endometriosis group. Each patient with endometriosis was randomly matched to 4 controls according to age and index year. All the patients were traced from the index date to HZ diagnosis, loss to follow-up, death, or the end of December 2013.Results: In total, 19,147 patients with newly diagnosed endometriosis and 76,588 participants without endometriosis were enrolled. The incidence of HZ was higher in endometriosis persons (5.36 per 1,000 person-years) than in matched controls (4.43 per 1,000 person-years) (p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and comorbidities, patients with endometriosis age ≤ 49 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.17) (p < 0.001) and 50–64 years (aHR = 1.27) (p < 0.05) showed significantly higher risk of HZ than the corresponding controls. Among women without any comorbidities, patients with endometriosis were 1.22 times (p < 0.001) more likely to have HZ than those without endometriosis.Conclusion: Taiwanese women with endometriosis may have a higher rate of HZ occurrence. Endometriosis seems to be a high burden for affected women. Therefore, we suggest that clinicians should be aware of HZ among women with endometriosis, although there may be ethnic differences.

Download Full-text

Risk of aortic dissection or aneurysm in patients with gallstone disease: a retrospective cohort study in Taiwan

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049316 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. e049316

Author(s):

Chien-Hua Chen ◽

Cheng-Li Lin ◽

Chia-Hung Kao

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Aortic Dissection ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Index Date ◽

Gallstone Disease ◽

Population Based ◽

Study Cohort ◽

Research Database ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Control Cohort

ObjectiveThis nationwide population-based cohort study was to compare the risk of aortic dissection (AD) or aortic aneurysm (AN) between the subjects with and without gallstone disease (GD). We also compare the risk of AD/AN between the patients with GD with and without cholecystectomy.SettingThis nationwide population-based cohort study.ParticipantsWe extracted the hospitalisation database from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan and identified a total of 343 300 patients aged ≥20 years with GD newly diagnosed between 2000 and 2010 as the study cohort, including 191 111 with cholecystectomy and 152 189 without cholecystectomy, respectively. We randomly selected those without GD as the control cohort, by 1:1 propensity score matching with the study cohort based on age, sex, comorbidities and year of the index date for GD diagnosis.ResultsThe incidence of AD/AN was 6.65/10 000 person-years for the GD cohort and 6.24/10 000 person-years for the non-GD cohort (adjusted HR (aHR)=1.11, 95% CI=1.09 to 1.13), respectively (p<0.001). Furthermore, the incidence of AD/AN in the patients with GD was 9.93/10 000 person-years for the non-cholecystectomy patients (aHR=1.24, 95% CI=1.22 to 1.26) and 4.63/10 000 person-years for the cholecystectomy patients (aHR=0.97, 95% CI=0.95 to 0.99), respectively (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe GD cohort was associated with and greater risk of AD/AN than the non-GD cohort, but the risk of AD/AN in the patients with GD would decrease after cholecystectomy.

Download Full-text

Age-Stratified Risk of Dementia in Parkinson's Disease: A Nationwide, Population-Based, Retrospective Cohort Study in Taiwan

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.748096 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Ting-Ya Chang ◽

Chun-Pai Yang ◽

Yi-Huei Chen ◽

Ching-Heng Lin ◽

Ming-Hong Chang

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Survival Rate ◽

Incidence Rate ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Population Based ◽

Motor Symptoms ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Free Survival ◽

Dementia Risk ◽

Dementia Incidence

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) manifests with dominant motor symptoms and a wide range of non-motor symptoms (NMS). Dementia is one of the most disabling and exhausting NMS throughout the clinical course. We conducted a population-based, age-stratified, retrospective cohort study to investigate the incidence rate and risk of dementia of patients with newly diagnosed PD, and linked to the clinicopathological PD subtypes.Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed PD (PD group, n = 760) and control subjects (non-PD group, n = 3,034) were selected from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from January 2001 to December 2005. The dementia incidence rate and dementia-free survival rate were calculated.Results: The overall dementia incidence rate was 17.5 and 5.7 per 1,000 person-years in PD and non-PD groups, respectively. The PD group had a significantly higher overall risk of dementia than controls (p < 0.001). The younger PD patients had a lower dementia incidence rate than the older PD patients, but a higher dementia risk compared to the same age of controls (<60 years, adjusted HR 6.55, 95% CI 1.56–27.48, p = 0.010). The dementia-free survival rate was significantly lower in the PD group compared to the non-PD group during follow-up (p < 0.001).Conclusion: In our study, the older age of onset in PD patients resulted in a higher incidence rate of dementia. In the young age of PD patients, the incidence rate of dementia was lower than the older PD patients, but the dementia risk was higher than controls of the same age. These findings possibly implied that there were different pathogenesis and pathologies causing dementia in younger and older PD patients.

Download Full-text

Risk of pyogenic liver abscess and endoscopic sphincterotomy: a population-based cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018818 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e018818 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yen-Chun Peng ◽

Cheng-Li Lin ◽

Fung-Chang Sung

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Liver Abscess ◽

Endoscopic Sphincterotomy ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Pyogenic Liver Abscess ◽

Population Based ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Research Database ◽

Using Data

ObjectivesTo evaluate the risk of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) in patients receiving endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES).SettingA population-based cohort study using data from Taiwans’ National Health Insurance Research Database was conducted. Patients aged 20 or older who had undergone an ES were considered as the ES cohort. The dates for the first hospitalisation of the patients receiving ES were defined as the index dates.ParticipantsPatients in the ES and non-ES cohorts were selected by 1:1 matching ratio based on a propensity score. A total of 8174 sex-matched, age-matched and index year-matched (1:1) pairs of patients receiving ES and 8174 patients without ES served as controls. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to calculate the HRs and 95% CIs for the association between PLA and ES.ResultsThe overall incidence of PLA was significantly higher in the ES cohort than in the non-ES cohort (4.20 vs 0.94, respectively, per 1000 person-year) with the adjusted HR (aHR) 4.50 (95% CI 3.38 to 6.58) A stratified analysis during the follow-up years revealed that when the ES cohort was compared with the non-ES cohort, they displayed a higher risk of PLA during the first follow-up year (aHR 4.35, 95% CI 2.26 to 8.39) which continued significantly over the next 4–5 years of follow-up.ConclusionsPatients receiving ES are associated with having a higher risk of PLA.

Download Full-text

Association between Statin Use and Sepsis Risk in Patients with Dementia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16091626 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. 1626 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liang-Tsai Yeh ◽

Chuan-Yi Tang ◽

Shun-Fa Yang ◽

Han-Wei Yeh ◽

Ying-Tung Yeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Positive Association ◽

Research Database ◽

Proportional Hazard ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard ◽

Sepsis Risk ◽

Using Data ◽

Statin Use

This study investigated the association of statin use with sepsis risk in patients with dementia. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Taiwan by using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified and enrolled 308 patients with newly diagnosed dementia who used statin after dementia diagnosis. These patients were individually propensity score matched (1:1) according to age, sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, renal disease, liver disease, asthma, malignancy, parkinsonism, and dementia drugs used (donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and memantine) with 251 controls (statin non-users). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio for sepsis in statin users and non-users. After adjustment for other confounding factors, the incidence of sepsis in statin users was 1.42-fold higher than that in non-users (95% confidence interval = 0.81–2.5). In conclusion, our analysis showed no positive association of sepsis with statin use in patients with dementia.

Download Full-text