Objectives: The risk of stroke is increased in patients with bipolar disorder. Lithium exhibits neuroprotective effects but the association between lithium use and the risk of stroke is unknown.
Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted by utilizing the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.
The optimal sequence of irinotecan and oxaliplatin-based regimens for metastatic colorectal cancer remains unclear. We conducted a population-based observational study by retrospectively reviewing records from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to explore this issue. Patients aged ≥ 20 years with metastatic colorectal cancer newly diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 (n = 9490) were enrolled in current study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The objective of this study was to assess the risk of depressive disorders in women who underwent hysterectomy in Taiwan.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a matched cohort of cases using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Database records from 1689 women who underwent hysterectomy between 2001 and 2005 were included in this study.
Increasing evidence indicates that the risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) and nontuberculous mycobacterial disease is elevated among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To determine the epidemiology of mycobacterial diseases among RA patients in Asia, we conducted a retrospective cohort study. We used a nationwide database to investigate the association of RA with mycobacterial diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Parkinson disease (PD) has been reported to be associated with a general reduced risk of cancer. These studies were mainly carried out in Western populations and little was known about associations in East Asians.
Objective: To analyze the association between PD and risk of cancer.
Background: To evaluate the risk of premotor symptoms, namely rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD), constipation, and depression among patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease (PD).
Methods: A total of 705 PD patients and 2,820 control subjects were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients were traced back for a maximum of 14 years to determine the diagnoses of RBD, depression, and constipation.
Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers have potential protective effects against atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to determine if patient characteristics and underlying co-morbidities could predict the efficacy of RAS blockers in AF prevention. Patients aged ≥ 45 years with hypertension were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The intrinsic risk factors of rotator cuff disease (RCD) include degeneration, inflammation, oxidative stress, and circulation impairment. Both diabetes and hyperlipidemia are thought to increase these risk factors and therefore potentially enhance RCD development. However, few studies, and few longitudinal follow-up studies in particular, exist to prove this.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Whole brain irradiation (WBRT) either with or without resection has historically been the treatment for brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The effect of gamma knife (GK) radiosurgery, chemotherapy, or the combination remains incompletely defined. In this study, we assessed the outcome of brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer treated by WBRT followed by GK, gefitinib, or the combination of GK and gefitinib.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We investigated factors associated with discontinuation of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), who were anti-TNF-naïve and were given etanercept (ETN) or adalimumab (ADA).
Methods: This is a retrospective nationwide population-based cohort study. We identified 1401 anti-TNF-naïve patients with AS who initiated ETN (n = 441) or ADA (n = 960) and measured the duration of anti-TNF drug use.
Gen Hosp Psychiatry
February 2016
Objective: We conducted this nationwide study to examine the epidemiology of hyperlipidemia among Taiwanese patients with bipolar disorder.
Methods: We used a random sample of 766,427 subjects who were ≥18 years old in 2005. Subjects with at least one primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder were identified.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
September 2015
Purpose: The population-based National Health Insurance database was used to investigate the trends, correlates, and disease patterns for elderly people in Taiwan who use antidepressants.
Methods: The National Health Research Institute provided a database of 1000,000 random subjects for study. We created a sample of subjects who were older than 65 years from 1997 to 2005.
As life expectancy increases in persons with hemophilia (PWH), more age-related diseases such as cancer emerge among this patient group. The aim of this study was to investigate incidence and survival of cancers among PWH in Taiwan. We analyzed data of 1,054 PWH retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1997 and 2010, by comparing variables to 10540 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals from the general population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Reports on the prevalence and risk factors of atherothrombotic events (AEs) are conflicting in persons with hemophilia (PWH).
Methods: This study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of AEs among 1054 male hemophilia patients, using data collected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1997 and 2010, by comparing variable to those of an unaffected 10540 age- and gender-matched general population.
Results: The proportions of all AEs among PWH, including 26 ischemic stroke, 29 coronary artery disease and 5 peripheral arterial disease were comparable to those in the general population.
Objective: SLE is associated with increased risk of diabetes mellitus. Treatment for SLE requires high-dose glucocorticoids that may worsen glucose homoeostasis. HCQ can reduce diabetes risk in RA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough past studies have confirmed that chronic dust exposure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the relationship between it and cerebrovascular disease is still unclear. We aimed to determine whether pneumoconiosis is related to increased incidence of ischemic stroke in the following 5 to 11 years. We selected 1238 patients with pneumoconiosis from Taiwan's National Health Insurance database as our study cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We designed this study to examine the prevalence and incidence of hypertension and risk factors in patients with anxiety disorders.
Methods: The National Health Research Institute provided a database of 1,000,000 random subjects for study. We obtained a random sample of 766,427 subjects aged ≥18years in 2005.
Background: The epidemiology of pyogenic liver abscess continues to change and the issue of antimicrobial therapy is controversial. This study investigated the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of antimicrobial therapy.
Methods: The annual incidence rates, demographic data, underlying diseases, complications, length of stay, mortality rates, and antimicrobial therapy were analyzed using the data retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, Taiwan, from 2000 to 2011.
Background: Asthma symptoms can interrupt daily activities, disturb sleep, and increase the risk of a child having an attention deficit or irritability, which also are symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the association between ADHD and asthma. This study investigates the possible correlation between asthma and ADHD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Electronic medical records with encoded entries should enhance the semantic interoperability of document exchange. However, it remains a challenge to encode the narrative concept and to transform the coded concepts into a standard entry-level document. This study aimed to use a novel approach for the generation of entry-level interoperable clinical documents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Several treatment guidelines for Parkinson's disease (PD) had been proposed in recent decades. The aim of current study was to investigate the initial medication utilized in newly diagnosed PD subjects in Taiwan during an eleven-year period.
Methods: A total of 7,550 patients with newly diagnosed Parkinsonism were retrospectively enrolled from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2000 to 2010.
Background And Objective: The importance of data standards when integrating clinical research data has been recognized. The common data element (CDE) is a consensus-based data element for data harmonization and sharing between clinical researchers, it can support data standards adoption and mapping. However, the lack of a suitable methodology has become a barrier to data standard adoption.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Little is known about the prognosis of resistant hypertension (RH) in Asian population. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of RH in Taiwanese patients with hypertension, and to ascertain whether patient characteristics influence the association of RH with adverse outcomes.
Methods And Results: Patients aged ≥45 years with hypertension were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The anti-arrhythmic effect of statins on AF prevention appears to be highly significant in most clinical studies. However, some discrepancies do exist among different clinical studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of late-onset pneumonia in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy.
Methods: Data were retrieved from the National Health Institute Research Database of Taiwan. We identified patients diagnosed with NPC (International Classification of Disease 9th revision-Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 147) from January 2005 to December 2008 who received curative radiotherapy as the study cohort.