Publications by authors named "Sungho Bea"
Article Synopsis
- - This study explored the possible link between COVID-19 vaccinations and thyroid issues, particularly thyroiditis, using data from over 7.5 million adults and adolescents in Korea.
- - Results indicated a slight increase in the risk of hypothyroidism exacerbation after vaccination, but not for other thyroid conditions like hyperthyroidism or thyroiditis in both adults and adolescents.
- - Overall, the findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccinations are generally safe for thyroid health, with the exception of a noted risk for worsening hypothyroidism.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic conditions (CCs) are linked to a higher risk of herpes zoster (HZ) infections, which poses a greater healthcare burden, especially in South Korea's aging population.
- A retrospective study analyzed data from over 729,000 HZ patients to determine incidence rates and trends in individuals with and without CCs between 2010 and 2019, revealing that those with diabetes and other CCs have the highest rates of HZ.
- The research emphasizes the need for effective HZ prevention strategies, particularly for individuals with CCs, to promote healthier aging in South Korea.
Objective: To examine the hepatic effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) through a head-to-head comparison with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) or thiazolidinediones (TZD) in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
Design: This population-based cohort study was conducted using a nationwide healthcare claims database (2014-2022) of Korea. We included individuals with MASLD (aged ≥40 years) who initiated SGLT-2i or comparator drugs (GLP-1RA or TZD).
Background And Purpose: Migraine is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases worldwide. Although diverse treatment regimens have been recommended, there is insufficient evidence for which treatment patterns to apply in routine clinical settings.
Methods: We used nationwide claims data from South Korea for 2015-2021 to identify incident migraine patients with at least one prescription for migraine.
Background: Both sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) may have neuroprotective effects in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, their comparative effectiveness in preventing dementia remains uncertain.
Objective: To compare the risk for dementia between SGLT2 inhibitors and dulaglutide (a GLP-1 RA).
Aims: Protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) are novel lipid-lowering agents used in patients with cardiovascular disease. Despite reassuring safety data from pivotal trials, increasing evidence from real-world studies suggests that PCSK9i increase the risk of bacterial and viral infections. Therefore, this study aimed to identify signals of infection-related adverse events (AEs) associated with PCSK9i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although the effectiveness and safety of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel may differ in patients with chronic liver disease, there is a scarcity of evidence comparing ticagrelor and clopidogrel in patients with chronic liver disease. We aimed to evaluate the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major bleeding associated with ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to acute coronary syndrome by chronic liver disease status.
Methods: Using the Korean healthcare claim database, we included adult patients who underwent PCI and initiated ticagrelor or clopidogrel treatment within 7 days of an acute coronary syndrome diagnosis.
Objectives: The clinical importance of adhering to the regimen in tuberculosis patients has been widely investigated, but most studies were conducted in controlled settings and in limited populations. We aimed to measure the level of real-world adherence during intensive phase and investigate the predictors and the risk of mortality and health outcomes of intensive phase non-adherence in tuberculosis patients.
Study Design: We conducted a nationwide cohort study by linking the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System and the National Health Information Database.
Purpose: Following the withdrawal of propacetamol in Europe owing to safety issues, the regulatory authority of South Korea requested a post-marketing surveillance study to investigate its safety profile.
Materials And Methods: We conducted nested case-control and case-time-control (CTC) analyses of cases and controls identified for outcomes of interest, including anaphylaxis, thrombosis, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), using the claims database of South Korea, 2010-2019. Risk-set sampling was used to match each case with up to 10 controls for age, sex, cohort entry date, and follow-up duration.
Concomitant use of sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and overactive bladder (OAB) drugs potentially poses a risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to the urinary retention of highly concentrated glucose in the urine. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the risk of UTIs among patients who initiated SGLT-2i treatment while taking OAB drugs. This population-based cohort study included new-users of SGLT-2i or comparator antidiabetics (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i); glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA)) with OAB drugs between 2014 and 2020 using claim data from Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Owing to adverse event following immunization (AEFI) related to autoimmune disorders and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines sharing common biological mechanisms, identifying the risk of AEFIs associated with COVID-19 vaccines remains a critical unmet need. We aimed to assess the potential safety signals for 16 AEFIs and explore co-reported adverse events (AEs) and drugs using the global database of the World Health Organization, VigiBase.
Methods: We assessed the occurrence of 16 AEFIs following COVID-19 vaccination through the Standardized MedDRA Queries group "Immune-mediated/Autoimmune Disorders" from MedDRA and performed a disproportionality analysis using reporting odds ratio (ROR) and information component (IC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Importance: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a cardiovascular risk factor, but whether sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and concomitant NAFLD remains uncertain.
Objective: To investigate the outcomes of SGLT-2i and GLP-1RA therapy among patients with T2D varied by the presence or absence of NAFLD.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective, population-based, nationwide cohort study used an active-comparator new-user design.
Introduction: To estimate herpes zoster (HZ) incidence rate (IR) and economic burden in individuals with immunocompromised conditions and autoimmune diseases (IC/AID) in the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Methods: The nationwide Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database was used to identify HZ cases from 2016 to 2020 in ROK. HZ and non-HZ IC/AID cases were matched 1:3 using age, sex, institution, Charlson comorbidity index, IC/AID, and index date.
Importance: Postmenopausal individuals with type 2 diabetes are susceptible to fractures due to the interaction of elevated blood glucose levels and a deficiency of the hormone estrogen. Despite continued concerns of fracture risks associated with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), existing evidence in this high-risk population is lacking.
Objective: To assess the risk of fractures associated with SGLT2i vs incretin-based drugs of dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA), separately, in postmenopausal individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Aims: To determine the potential association between the use of either glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, and the risk of thyroid cancer in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Materials And Methods: This population-based cohort study used claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance Database, 2014-2020. Two distinct cohorts were established to compare each incretin-based drug with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, chosen as active comparators because of their previous non-association with thyroid cancer, and their common usage as add-on therapy to metformin along with GLP-1RAs and DPP-4 inhibitors.
Aim: To assess the risk of amputation associated with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) among patients with type 2 diabetes, across categories of baseline cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diuretic use (DU).
Materials And Methods: We conducted an active comparator, new-user cohort study using Korea's nationwide claims data (2015-2020). The study cohort consisted of patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated SGLT2is or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4is).
Background: To eliminate tuberculosis (TB), World Health Organization (WHO) initiated "The End TB Strategy" with the goal of a 95% reduction in deaths. While many resources are contributed to eradicating TB, a substantial number of TB patients are still unlikely to receive timely treatment. Thus, we aimed to measure healthcare delay and its association with clinical outcomes from 2013 to 2018.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To explore the risk of breakthrough infection among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and risk of severe clinical outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection according to vaccination status.
Materials And Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using South Korea's linked database of nationwide COVID-19 registry and claims data between 2018 and 2021. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for breakthrough infections were measured in 1:1 propensity-score (PS)-matched fully vaccinated patients with versus without T2D (full-vaccination cohort), and HRs for all-cause mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission/mechanical ventilation (MV) use, and hospitalizations after SARS-CoV-2 infection were measured in 1:1 PS-matched T2D patients with versus without full-vaccination (T2D cohort).
Background/purpose(s): Bedaquiline and delamanid were recently approved for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Bedaquiline carries a black box warning of increased risk of death compared to the placebo arm, and there is a need to establish the risks of QT prolongation and hepatotoxicity for bedaquiline and delamanid.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of MDR-TB patients retrieved from the South Korea national health insurance system database (2014-2020) to assess the risks of all-cause death, long QT-related cardiac event, and acute liver injury associated with bedaquiline or delamanid, compared with conventional regimen.
Article Synopsis
- The 2018 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend statin use for patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but the effectiveness of statin intensity is unclear.
- A study conducted in South Korea analyzed 10,442 CLD patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, comparing outcomes between those on high-intensity versus low/moderate-intensity statins over an average of 2.35 years.
- Results showed that high-intensity statin users had a significantly lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular-cause, and liver-cause mortality, supporting the guidelines while noting an increase in hospitalizations for myocardial infarction and stroke among high