Comparison of Patients Who Were Not Evaluated and Lost to Follow-Up with Multidrug/Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the prognosis of the not evaluated (NE) group by comparing it with the lost to follow-up (LTFU) group among patients with multidrug/rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB).

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective longitudinal follow-up study using an integrated database constructed by data linkage of the three national databases. This database included 7226 cases of MDR/RR-TB notified between 2011 and 2017 in South Korea.

Contrasting income-based inequalities in incidence and mortality of breast cancer in Korea, 2006-2015.

Objectives: Breast cancer incidence and mortality rates in Korea are increasing. This study analyzed income-based inequalities in the incidence and mortality of women breast cancer from 2006 to 2015, using national data that covered all Korean women.

Methods: We used the National Health Information Database from 2006 to 2015.

Combined effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on the risk of liver cancer according to metabolic syndrome: A nested case-control study in South Korea.

Tobacco and alcohol may interact to increase the risk of liver cancer, which might be modified by other risk factors. Their combined effects in the context of metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain unclear. Given the increasing prevalence of MetS, this nested case-control study was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on liver cancer risk with stratification by MetS.

Cancer risk according to fasting blood glucose trajectories: a population-based cohort study.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is known to increase the risk of cancer. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels can be changed over time. However, the association between FBG trajectory and cancer risk has been insufficiently studied.

Cancer Risk Following Smoking Cessation in Korea.

Importance: Tobacco smoking is associated with increased risk of various cancers, and smoking cessation has been associated with reduced cancer risks, but it is still unclear how many years of smoking cessation are required to significantly reduce the cancer risk. Therefore, investigating the association of smoking cessation with cancer is essential.

Objective: To investigate the time course of cancer risk according to the time elapsed since smoking cessation and the benefits of smoking cessation according to the age at quitting.

Relationship between metformin use and mortality in tuberculosis patients with diabetes: a nationwide cohort study.

Background/aims: To determine whether metformin, which is considered a host-directed therapy for tuberculosis (TB), is effective in improving the prognosis of patients with TB and diabetes mellitus (DM), who have higher mortality than those without DM.

Methods: This cohort study included patients who were registered as having TB in the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System. The medical and death records of matched patients were obtained from the National Health Information Database and Statistics Korea, respectively, and data from 2011 to 2017 were collected retrospectively.

A Quasi-experimental Study on the Effect of Pre-entry Tuberculosis Screening for Immigrants on Treatment Outcomes in South Korea: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis.

Objective: This study ascertains the effects of the pre-entry tuberculosis (TB) screening policy, which was implemented as a strategy for managing TB among immigrants, on the treatment outcomes of immigrants in South Korea.

Methods: This study linked three different datasets from 2013 to 2018, namely (1) Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System; (2) National Health Information Database for patients diagnosed with TB with ICD code A15-A19, B90, or U84.3; and (3) Statistics Korea database related to cause of deaths.

Association between diabetes mellitus and cause of death in patients with tuberculosis: A Korean nationwide cohort study.

Despite its significant impact on mortality, tuberculosis (TB)-diabetes mellitus (DM) co-prevalence has not been well-elucidated for the cause of death. We investigated the impact of DM on TB-related and non-TB-related deaths in patients with TB. This retrospective nationwide cohort study included patients diagnosed with TB between 2011 and 2017 in South Korea.

Real-world impact of the fixed-dose combination on improving treatment outcomes of drug-susceptible tuberculosis: a comparative study using multiyear national tuberculosis patient data.

Background: The fixed-dose combination (FDC) for first-line antituberculosis (TB) treatment has long been a standard practice worldwide; however, there is limited evidence on whether the use of FDC improves long-term treatment outcomes in the real-world setting.

Methods: We identified 32 239 newly diagnosed patients with drug-susceptible (DS) TB in 2015 and 2016 who had been prescribed FDC or non-FDC TB treatment from a multiyear (2013-2018) national TB cohort database that linked the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System, the National Health Insurance Database and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) with a propensity score was used to control for differences in patient characteristics between 5926 patients with TB treated with FDC and 26 313 patients with non-FDC.

The role of income and frequency of dental visits in the relationship between dental sealant use and resin fillings after extended coverage: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Prevention and treatment services use is closely associated with socioeconomic factors, such as income. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between implementing the sealant program and resin fillings restoration and to explore the role of income and frequency of dental visits in this relationship.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the cohort database from the National Health Information Database of the National Health Insurance Service.

Impact of Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Use on Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study with Propensity Score Matching.

Background: Effective treatment of fluoroquinolone-resistant multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (FQr-MDR-TB) is difficult because of the limited number of available core anti-TB drugs and high rates of resistance to anti-TB drugs other than FQs. However, few studies have examined anti-TB drugs that are effective in treating patients with FQr-MDR-TB in a real-world setting.

Methods: The impact of anti-TB drug use on treatment outcomes in patients with pulmonary FQr-MDR-TB was retrospectively evaluated using a nationwide integrated TB database (Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis).

Comparison of Bayesian Spatiotemporal Models for Small-Area Life Expectancy: A Simulation Study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the precision, uncertainty, and normality of small-area life expectancy estimates calculated using Bayesian spatiotemporal models. We hypothesized 6 scenarios in which all 247 districts of South Korea had the same year-specific female population of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 25,000 individuals during the study period (2013-2017). We generated 1,000 hypothetical data sets for each scenario and calculated district-year life expectancies.

Prevalence and associated factors of diabetes mellitus among patients with tuberculosis in South Korea from 2011 to 2018: a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients with tuberculosis (TB) using a nationwide cohort in South Korea.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: This study used the Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis cohort, which was constructed by linking the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance, National Health Information Database (NHID) and Statistics Korea data for the causes of death.

Nationwide Treatment Outcomes of Patients With Multidrug/Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis in Korea, 2011-2017: A Retrospective Cohort Study (Korean TB-POST).

Background: The treatment outcomes of patients with multidrug/rifampin-resistant (MDR/RR) tuberculosis (TB) are important indicators that reflect the current status of TB management and identify the key challenges encountered by TB control programs in a country.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the treatment outcomes as well as predictors of unfavorable outcomes in patients with MDR/RR-TB notified from 2011 to 2017, using an integrated TB database.

Results: A total of 7,226 patients with MDR/RR-TB were included.

Sex differences in the impact of diabetes mellitus on tuberculosis recurrence: a retrospective national cohort study.

Objectives: Whether diabetes mellitus (DM) increases tuberculosis (TB) recurrence risk is debatable. We determined the effect of DM on TB recurrence.

Methods: This retrospective nationwide cohort study included patients with TB who successfully completed TB treatment during 2011-2017 and were followed up for TB recurrence until August 2020.

Disability type-specific mortality patterns and life expectancy among disabled people in South Korea using 10-year combined data between 2008 and 2017.

People with disabilities have a higher mortality risk than non-disabled people. However, mortality patterns and life expectancy according to disability types are under-researched. This study investigated the sociodemographic characteristics and compared mortality and life expectancy among people with disabilities according to disability type in Korea using 10-year combined data between 2008 and 2017.

Cohort Profile: Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis Cohort Constructed by Linking the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System and National Health Information Database.

We aimed to review the current data composition of the Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis Cohort, which was constructed by linking the Korean Tuberculosis Surveillance System (KNTSS; established and operated by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency since 2000) and the National Health Information Database (NHID; established by the National Health Insurance Service in 2012). The following data were linked: KNTSS data pertaining to patients diagnosed with tuberculosis between 2011 and 2018, NHID data of patients with a history of tuberculosis and related diseases between 2006 and 2018, and data (obtained from the Statistics Korea database) on causes of death. Data from 300 117 tuberculosis patients (177 206 men and 122 911 women) were linked.

Cancer-free Life Expectancy in Small Administrative Areas in Korea and Its Associations with Regional Health Insurance Premiums.

Background: To determine the priorities and resource allocation of community cancer-related health policies, it is necessary to measure cancer-related health indicators and the burden of cancer by region. This study calculated the cancer-free life expectancy at the level (small administrative units in South Korea) for the first time, and analyzed its association with regional health insurance premiums.

Methods: We used aggregate data from the 2008-2017 National Health Information Database provided by the National Health Insurance Service.

Spatio-temporal Analysis of District-level Life Expectancy from 2004 to 2017 in Korea.

Background: Health indicators, such as mortality rates or life expectancy, need to be presented at the local level to improve the health of local residents and to reduce health inequality across geographic areas. The aim of this study was to estimate life expectancy at the district level in Korea through a spatio-temporal analysis.

Methods: Spatio-temporal models were applied to the National Health Information Database of the National Health Insurance Service to estimate the mortality rates for 19 age groups in 250 districts from 2004 to 2017 by gender in Korea.

Life Expectancy in Areas around Subway Stations in the Seoul Metropolitan Area in Korea, 2008-2017.

Background: This study aimed to calculate life expectancy in the areas around 614 subway stations on 23 subway lines in the Seoul metropolitan area of Korea from 2008 to 2017.

Methods: We used the National Health Information Database provided by the National Health Insurance Service, which covers the whole population of Korea. The analysis was conducted on the level of the smallest administrative units within a 200-m radius of each subway station.

Age- and cause-specific contributions to the life expectancy gap between Medical Aid recipients and National Health Insurance beneficiaries in Korea, 2008-2017.

Recipients of Medical Aid, a government-funded social assistance program for the poor, have a shorter life expectancy than National Health Insurance beneficiaries in Korea. This study aims to explore the contributions of age and major causes of death to the life expectancy difference between the two groups. We used the National Health Information Database provided by the National Health Insurance Service individually linked to mortality registration data of Statistics Korea between 2008 and 2017.

Comparison of three small-area mortality metrics according to urbanity in Korea: the standardized mortality ratio, comparative mortality figure, and life expectancy.

Background: This study aimed to compare three small-area level mortality metrics according to urbanity in Korea: the standardized mortality ratio (SMR), comparative mortality figure (CMF), and life expectancy (LE) by urbanity.

Methods: We utilized the National Health Information Database to obtain annual small-area level age-specific numbers of population and deaths in Korea between 2013 and 2017. First, differences in the SMR by urbanity were examined, assuming the same age-specific mortality rates in all small areas.

Inequality in Life Expectancy in Korea according to Various Categorizations of the National Health Insurance Premiums as a Marker of Income.

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which the magnitude of income inequality in life expectancy according to different categorization across beneficiary types under the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in Korea. We used population and death data in 2017 from the National Health Information Database of the NHIS. Income quintile groups were classified in four ways according to beneficiary type (employee insured, self-employed insured, and Medical Aid beneficiaries).