Influence of Latitude on the Prevalence of Kawasaki Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database and Review of the Literature

ObjectivesWe examined the relationship between duration (pack-year) of smoking and the risk of developing cerebral infarction in Korean men.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingNational Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort in Korea.ParticipantsOf 125 743 male participants from the National Health Insurance System undergoing medical health check-up in 2009, 114 377 were included in the final analysis.Primary and secondary outcome measuresDevelopment of cerebral infarction according to smoking duration after adjusting for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, γ-glutamyltransferase, estimated glomerular filtration rate, alcohol intake and physical activity.ResultsDuring 495 827.3 person-years of follow-up, 1450 incident cases of cerebral infarction developed between 2009 and 2013. The multivariate adjusted HRs (95% CI) for cerebral infarction between groups 2, 3 and 4 by duration of smoking were 1.02 (0.88 to 1.19), 1.36 (1.19 to 1.56) and 1.49 (1.28 to 1.74), respectively. In our secondary analysis by smoking status, the HR (95% CI) of former smokers showed a significant relationship in the unadjusted model but did not show statistically significant associations in the multivariate adjusted model. The HR (95% CI) of current smokers showed significant relationship in both the unadjusted and multivariate adjusted models (p for trend <0.001).ConclusionsThe study indicates that the prolonged duration of smoking (pack-year) increases the risk of cerebral infarction. Current smoking poses a higher risk for the development of cerebral infraction than former smoking among Korean men, indicating that current smoking cessation would be more protective.

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Patterns of statin utilisation for new users and market dynamics in South Korea: a 13-year retrospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026603 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. e026603 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kyung-Bok Son ◽

SeungJin Bae

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Health Insurance ◽

South Korea ◽

National Health Insurance ◽

National Health ◽

Primary Healthcare ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Market Dynamics

ObjectiveThis study analysed utilisation of statins for new statin users and assessed market dynamics of statins in South Korea.DesignThis study is a retrospective cohort study.SettingThe yearly claims data for statins were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort.Main outcome measureWe are interested in new statin users during 2003–2015 in Korea. Information on prescribed statins, including intensity of statins and entry of new and follow-on statins in the market, and healthcare institutions that prescribed the statins were also collected. In time series analysis, we estimated the effect of introduction of generics in the market, specifically for newly prescribed statin users.ResultsThis 13-year longitudinal study of a sample cohort provided by the National Health Insurance Service found that the incidence of new statin user increase from 838.1/100 000 persons in 2003 to 1626.9/100 000 persons in 2015. Most new users were initiated on a monotherapy that was prescribed at primary healthcare institutions. However, the statin market for new users were quite dynamic in Korea. First, the most commonly prescribed statin changed several times during the study period. Second, the use of moderate-intensity statins increased from 57% in 2003 to 92% in 2015. In line with this result, we could not observe substantial differences in prescription of statins in groups having selected diseases history. Lastly, we found market invasion or switch of statins among new statin users, specifically at primary healthcare institutions.ConclusionSimilar to other countries, the incidence of new statin users has been increased in Korea. However, the statin market in Korea is quite dynamic compared with other countries. Interestingly, discounted price of originals after the introduction of generics immediately expand markets or substitute the market particularly in primary healthcare institutions in Korea.

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