Trends in prescribing sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors for individuals with type 2 diabetes with and without cardiovascular-renal disease in South Korea, 2015-2021.

Background: This study evaluates shifts in oral glucose-lowering drug prescription patterns and the adoption of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) in South Korea.

Methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective cohort analysis of the Korean National Health Insurance database (2015-2021) assessed the prescription patterns of oral glucose-lowering drugs by therapy level, SGLT2i prescriptions by cardiovascular-renal disease (CVRD) status, and the mean duration for SGLT2i therapy initiation and intensification.

Results: From 2015 to 2021, the number of individuals prescribed oral glucose-lowering drugs across all regimen levels increased.

Combined impact of prediabetes and hepatic steatosis on cardiometabolic outcomes in young adults.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of hepatic steatosis on cardiometabolic outcomes in young adults with prediabetes.

Methods: A nationwide cohort study was conducted with 896,585 young adults under 40 years old without diabetes or previous history of cardiovascular disease. Hepatic steatosis was identified using a fatty liver index of ≥ 60.

Changes in the Epidemiological Landscape of Diabetes in South Korea: Trends in Prevalence, Incidence, and Healthcare Expenditures.

Diabetes is a serious public health concern that significantly contributes to the global burden of disease. In Korea, the prevalence of diabetes is 12.5% among individuals aged 19 and older, and 14.

Financial Benefits of Renal Dose-Adjusted Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Backgruound: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors are frequently prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes; however, their cost can pose a significant barrier for those with impaired kidney function. This study aimed to estimate the economic benefits of substituting non-renal dose-adjusted (NRDA) DPP4 inhibitors with renal dose-adjusted (RDA) DPP4 inhibitors in patients with both impaired kidney function and type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018, using data obtained from common data models of five medical centers in Korea.

Lower Atrial Fibrillation Risk With Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors Than With Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background And Objectives: Accumulating evidence shows that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, whether SGLT2i, compared with other antidiabetic drugs, reduce the new development of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. In this study, we compared SGLT2i with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) in terms of reduction in the risk of AF in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Impact of prolonged carbapenem use-focused antimicrobial stewardship on antimicrobial consumption and factors affecting acceptance of recommendations: a quasi-experimental study.

This study aimed to assess the impact of a prolonged carbapenem use-focused antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on antimicrobial consumption and clinical outcomes and to analyze factors affecting adherence to interventions. Patients prescribed carbapenems for ≥ 2 weeks received intervention. Interrupted time-series analysis was performed to compare antimicrobial consumption before and after intervention.

Diet quality partially mediates the association between ultraprocessed food consumption and adiposity indicators.

Objective: This study evaluated the potential role of overall diet quality in the associations between ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption and adiposity indicators among Korean adults.

Methods: Baseline data of participants (n = 4331) of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center (CMERC) cohort study were obtained. Dietary information was collected by a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Long-term Effectiveness of the National Diabetes Quality Assessment Program in South Korea.

Objective: This study examined the long-term effectiveness of the national diabetes quality assessment program (NDQAP) in diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: From the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database, 399,984 individuals with diabetes who visited a primary care clinic from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 were included and followed up until 31 May 2021. The NDQAP included five quality assessment indicators: regular outpatient visits, continuity of prescriptions, regular testing of glycated hemoglobin and lipids, and regular fundus examination.

Associations of updated cardiovascular health metrics, including sleep health, with incident diabetes and cardiovascular events in older adults with prediabetes: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Aims: To investigate the association of updated cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics, including sleep health, with the risk of diabetes and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in older adults with prediabetes.

Methods: A total of 7,948 older adults with prediabetes aged ≥ 65 years were included in this study. CVH was assessed using seven baseline metrics according to the modified American Heart Association recommendations.

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Obesity in Korean Adults.

Backgruound: This study aimed to investigate the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and obesity in Korean adults.

Methods: We included the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center cohort study baseline data of adults aged 30 to 64 years who completed a validated food frequency questionnaire. UPF was defined using the NOVA food classification.

Empagliflozin is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in routine care in East Asia: Results from the EMPRISE study.

Aims/introduction: The EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial demonstrated benefits of empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), on cardiovascular, renal outcomes and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease. The EMPRISE study program evaluates how these effects translate in a broad population of patients with type 2 diabetes in routine clinical care across countries.

Materials And Methods: The study included patients ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes initiating empagliflozin or any dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) from large administrative databases in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Empagliflozin cardiovascular and renal effectiveness and safety compared to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors across 11 countries in Europe and Asia: Results from the EMPagliflozin compaRative effectIveness and SafEty (EMPRISE) study.

Background: Continued expansion of indications for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors increases importance of evaluating cardiovascular and kidney efficacy and safety of empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to similar therapies.

Methods: The EMPRISE Europe and Asia study is a non-interventional cohort study using data from 2014-2019 in seven European (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) and four Asian (Israel, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) countries. Patients with type 2 diabetes initiating empagliflozin were 1:1 propensity score matched to patients initiating dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors.

Temporal Association of Total Serum Cholesterol and Pancreatic Cancer Incidence.

Previous studies have suggested a “cholesterol-lowering effect” of preclinical pancreatic cancer, suggesting lower total cholesterol as a potential diagnostic marker. Leveraging repeated measurements of total cholesterol, this study aims to examine the temporal association of total cholesterol and pancreatic cancer incidence. We conducted a nested case-control study based on a Korean National Health Insurance Service−Health Screening Cohort, including 215 pancreatic cancer cases and 645 controls matched on age and sex.

Diabetes screening in South Korea: a new estimate of the number needed to screen to detect diabetes.

Background/aims: The Korean Diabetes Association (KDA) guidelines recommend adults aged ≥ 40 years and adults aged ≥ 30 years with diabetes risk factors for diabetes screening. This study aimed to determine the age threshold for diabetes screening in Korean adults.

Methods: This study was based on the analyses of Korean adults aged ≥ 20 years using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC).

Lifetime risk, life expectancy, and years of life lost to type 2 diabetes in 23 high-income jurisdictions: a multinational, population-based study.

Background: Diabetes is a major public health issue. Because lifetime risk, life expectancy, and years of life lost are meaningful metrics for clinical decision making, we aimed to estimate these measures for type 2 diabetes in the high-income setting.

Methods: For this multinational, population-based study, we sourced data from 24 databases for 23 jurisdictions (either whole countries or regions of a country): Australia; Austria; Canada; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Hong Kong; Hungary; Israel; Italy; Japan; Latvia; Lithuania; the Netherlands; Norway; Scotland; Singapore; South Korea; Spain; Taiwan; the UK; and the USA.

Association of prediabetes with death and diabetic complications in older adults: the pros and cons of active screening for prediabetes.

Background: active screening can improve health outcomes for people with prediabetes. However, its efficacy in older adults remains uncertain.

Objective: the study aimed to analyse the progression from prediabetes to diabetes in older adults, including associated complications and mortality rates, to determine the benefits of active screening.

Maintaining Physical Activity Is Associated with Reduced Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in People Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes.

Background: We investigated the association between changes in physical activity and the risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) in people with newly diagnosed diabetes.

Methods: Using a nationwide database, we identified 8,596 people with newly diagnosed diabetes who underwent national health examinations within a year before and after a diabetes diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards models, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for MACE risks were calculated according to changes in physical activity before and after a diagnosis of diabetes.

Rising Incidence of Diabetes in Young Adults in South Korea: A National Cohort Study.

We investigated the incidence of diagnosed diabetes in South Korean adults (aged ≥20 years) by analyzing data for the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. From 2006 to 2015, the overall incidence rate of diagnosed diabetes decreased by approximately 0.1% per year until 2015.

Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Korea: A National Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Study.

We investigated the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and the risk of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) in seven metropolitan cities in Korea. We used national health insurance claims data to identify AE-COPD cases in 2015. We estimated short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of ≤2.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors do not increase the risk of fractures in real-world clinical practice in Korea: A national observational cohort study.

Aims/introduction: This study aimed to determine whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were related to increased fracture risk in adults with type 2 diabetes compared with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i).

Materials And Methods: Between 1 May 2016 and 31 December 2018, we carried out a new-user cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Propensity score matching was carried out on 478,826 new users of an SGLT2i or DPP-4i.

Trends in all-cause mortality among people with diagnosed diabetes in high-income settings: a multicountry analysis of aggregate data.

Background: Population-level trends in mortality among people with diabetes are inadequately described. We aimed to examine the magnitude and trends in excess all-cause mortality in people with diabetes.

Methods: In this retrospective, multicountry analysis, we collected aggregate data from 19 data sources in 16 high-income countries or jurisdictions (in six data sources in Asia, eight in Europe, one from Australia, and four from North America) for the period from Jan 1, 1995, to Dec 31, 2016, (or a subset of this period) on all-cause mortality in people with diagnosed total or type 2 diabetes.

Healthcare resource utilization in patients treated with empagliflozin in East Asia.

Aims/introduction: We investigated the utilization of healthcare resources in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, versus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in clinical practice in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the Japanese Medical Data Vision database (December 2014-April 2018), the South Korean National Health Information Database, and the Taiwanese National Health Insurance claims database (both May 2016-December 2017). Patients with type 2 diabetes starting empagliflozin, 10 or 25 mg, or a DPP-4 inhibitor were matched 1:1 via propensity scores (PS).