Nationwide Study of the Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis in Korea.

Background: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a condition with an uncertain global incidence, and information on its diagnosis and management is limited. This study aimed to address these knowledge gaps.

Methods: This study utilized customized claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in South Korea from January 2010, to December 2021.

Patterns of inflammatory immune responses in patients with septic shock receiving vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine: clustering analysis in Korea.

Background: Sepsis is characterized by heterogeneous immune responses that may evolve during the course of illness. This study identified inflammatory immune responses in septic patients receiving vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine.

Methods: This was a single-center, post-hoc analysis of 95 patients with septic shock who received the vitamin C protocol.

Risk of venous thromboembolism in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with Janus kinase inhibitors: A nationwide population-based study.

Objective: There was a safety concern about an increased risk of thromboembolic events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis). This study aimed to determine the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Korean patients with RA treated with JAKis compared with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors.

Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Service database between 2015 and 2019, patients with prevalent RA who started JAKi or TNF inhibitor were selected as the study population.

Safety Profiles of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Using World Health Organization Global Scale Database (VigiBase): A Latent Class Analysis.

Introduction: Although messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have been developed and widely utilized to mitigate the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it is essential to describe the adverse events (AEs) following immunization. This study aimed to identify the patterns associated with serious AE reports after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in the World Health Organization (WHO)'s global scale database (VigiBase).

Methods: This study performed a latent class analysis (LCA) of reports of serious AEs following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination from VigiBase between December 28, 2020 , and February 28, 2022 (N = 312878).

Longitudinal study of the impact of three major regulations on the Korean pharmaceutical industry in the last 30 years.

Background: The pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated. Partly for this reason, new drugs generally take over 10 years from the product development stage to market entry. Although regulations affect the pharmaceutical industry over a long period, previous studies investigating the impact of new regulatory policies have usually focused on the short period before and after implementing that policy.

Incorporating a real-time automatic alerting system based on electronic medical records could improve rapid response systems: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Rapid response systems (RRSs) are essential components of patient safety systems; however, limited evidence exists regarding their effectiveness and optimal structures. We aimed to assess the activation patterns and outcomes of RRS implementation with/without a real-time automatic alerting system (AAS) based on electronic medical records (EMRs).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients for whom the RRS was activated in the surgical wards of a tertiary university hospital.

Risk of Fractures in Older Adults with Chronic Non-cancer Pain Receiving Concurrent Benzodiazepines and Opioids: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the concurrent use of benzodiazepines and opioids and the risk of fractures in older patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

Methods: Patients with osteoarthritis or low back pain (≥ 65 years of age) included in the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database of Korea and with an incident diagnosis of hip, humeral, or forearm fracture between 2011 and 2015 were identified as cases. For each case, four controls were matched for age (within 5 years), sex, and year of cohort entry.

Change Point Analysis for Detecting Vaccine Safety Signals.

It is important to detect signals of abrupt changes in adverse event reporting in order to notice public safety concerns and take prompt action, especially for vaccines under national immunization programs. In this study, we assessed the applicability of change point analysis (CPA) for signal detection in vaccine safety surveillance. The performances of three CPA methods, namely Bayesian change point analysis, Taylor's change point analysis (Taylor-CPA), and environmental time series change point detection (EnvCpt), were assessed via simulated data with assumptions for the baseline number of events and degrees of change.

Inhaled Corticosteroids and COVID-19 Risk and Mortality: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) could increase both the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and experiencing poor outcomes. To compare the clinical outcomes between ICS users and nonusers, COVID-19-related claims in the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database were evaluated. To evaluate susceptibility to COVID-19 among patients with COPD or asthma, a nested case-control study was performed using the same database.

Concomitant Use of NSAIDs or SSRIs with NOACs Requires Monitoring for Bleeding.

Purpose: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are widely used in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) because of their effectiveness in preventing stroke and their better safety, compared with warfarin. However, there are concerns for an increased risk of bleeding associated with concomitant use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) with NOACs. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the risk of bleeding events in individuals taking concomitant NSAIDs or SSRIs with NOACs after being diagnosed with AF.

Association of Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone System Inhibitors With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)- Related Outcomes in Korea: A Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study.

Background: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors may facilitate host cell entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or attenuate organ injury via RAAS blockade. We aimed to assess the associations between prior use of RAAS inhibitors and clinical outcomes among Korean patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: We performed a nationwide population-based cohort study using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database.

Duplicated tramadol use in chronic low back pain: A nationwide cross-sectional study.

Tramadol is a weak opioid that is commonly used for chronic low back pain (LBP). Despite its effectiveness, duplicated use of tramadol, which may indicate abuse or dependence, may exacerbate potential adverse reactions. This population-based, cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of duplication of tramadol and its associated factors among patients with LBP.