Background: The population of adults with congenital heart diseases (ACHDs) is expanding, and atrial fibrillation (AF) emerges as a crucial risk factor for ischemic stroke. However, the evidence regarding the impact of AF on the incidence of ischemic stroke in ACHDs remains limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and effect of AF among ACHDs and assess the suitability of the traditional CHA₂DS₂-VASc score in this specific population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To assess if early change in albuminuria was linked to an initial change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and long-term kidney outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) receiving sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.
Methods: Using a medical database from a multicentre healthcare institute in Taiwan, we retrospectively enrolled 8310 people receiving SGLT2 inhibitors from 1 June 2016 to 31 December 2021. We compared the risks of initial eGFR decline, major adverse renal events (MARE; >50% eGFR reduction or development of end-stage kidney disease), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), or hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) using a Cox proportional hazards model.
Aims: This study investigated the association between the frequency of screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR) versus the development of DR and corresponding medical expenses among patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Methods: This longitudinal, population-based study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (2004 to 2020) as a data source. Propensity score matching (PSM) (sex, age, comorbidities and concurrent medication use) was employed in the grouping of T2DM patients according to different frequency of DR screening.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses significant challenges to public health and healthcare systems, demanding a comprehensive understanding of its progressive nature. Prior methods have often fallen short in capturing the dynamic and individual variability of renal function. This study aims to address this gap by introducing a novel approach for the individualized assessment of CKD progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Varicose veins (VV) and mitral valve regurgitation (MR) are both common diseases. The aim was to investigate whether VV are associated with an increased risk of MR.
Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study to assess the association between VV and risk of developing MR.
Background: According to recent research, breast cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer type among the entire population. Meanwhile, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has become an important therapy to improve the survival rate and quality of life in metastatic cancer patients, as part of a wider trend toward more personalized medicine. However, there is a lack of research in terms of the association between stage IV breast cancer and CHM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To determine whether background medications modify the effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) on the eGFR and kidney outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: We used medical data from a multicenter health care facility in Taiwan and included 10,071 patients who received SGLT2i treatment from June 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Direct comparisons for use versus no use of specific background drugs were conducted after adjusting for baseline characteristics through propensity score matching.
The use of social media has changed since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about the gender disparity in social media use for nonspecific and health-specific issues before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a gender difference perspective, this study aimed to examine how the nonspecific and health-specific uses of social media changed in 2017-2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Childhood cancer survivors are at a high risk of medical consequences of their disease and treatment. There is growing information about the long-term health issues of childhood cancer survivors; however, there are very few studies describing the health care utilization and costs for this unique population. Understanding their utilization of health care services and costs will provide the basis for developing strategies to better serve these individuals and potentially reduce the cost.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
February 2023
Background: Taiwan always had low case rates of COVID-19 compared with other countries due to its immediate control and preventive measures. However, the effects of its policies that started on 2020 for otolaryngology patients were unknown; therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the nationwide database to know the impact of COVID-19 preventative measures on the diseases and cases of otolaryngology in 2020.
Method: A case-compared, retrospective, cohort database study using the nationwide database was collected from 2018 to 2020.
Background: This retrospective cohort study investigated the risk of major bleeding events during the concurrent use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and anticoagulants in clinical practice.
Methods: A total of 4,470 patients receiving anticoagulant drugs were selected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Half (n = 2,235) were also using CHMs (CHM cohort); the other half were not (non-CHM cohort).
Portable magnetic-assisted capsule endoscopy (MACE) provides satisfactory patient experience and safety with comparable performance in diagnosis of organic lesions when compared to conventional upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. In this study, a total of 58 homecare patients were included for MACE either in the hospital ( = 42) or at home ( = 16), with mean age of 71.1 ± 12.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The frequency of an acute increase in serum creatinine (sCr) of >30%, following treatment of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and its clinical implications in patients with type 2 diabetes remains unclear.
Methods And Results: We used medical data from a multicentre health care provider in Taiwan and recruited 11 657 and 8117 diabetic patients with baseline/follow-up sCr data available within 12 weeks of SGLT2i and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i) treatment from 1 June 2016 to 31 December 2018. Participants receiving SGLT2i or DPP4i were categorized by initial sCr change into three groups: >30% sCr increase, 0-30% increase, or no-sCr increase.
Objective: Elevated lipoprotein(a) level is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the strength of this association in healthy individuals is unknown.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed medical records obtained from a Health Examination Program.
Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects the quality of life (QOL) and balance control of elderly people; our study explored the balance factors that affected the QOL in patients with knee OA.
Objectives: To determine the balance factors that affected the QOL of patients with knee OA who attended general clinics.
Method: A total of 30 healthy controls and 60 patients with mild-to-moderate bilateral knee OA, all aged 55-75 years, were enrolled in our cross-sectional study.
Patients with early onset vascular pathology have been reported to manifest neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). While the blood vessels involved in pathogenesis of migraine remains controversial, it is generally accepted that a major contributor is blood vessel pathology. This study aimed to examine the association between migraine and AMD using a nationwide population-based dataset.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a controversy over the association between obesity and the risk of renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Furthermore, whether body weight (BW) loss following sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) treatment associated with risk of adverse renal events is unknown.
Methods: We used medical data from a multi-center healthcare provider in Taiwan, enrolling 8992 T2DM patients with a baseline/following-up BW data available after around 12 weeks of SGLT2i treatment, from June 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018.
Accumulating evidence has shown a significant correlation between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases. In this study, we investigated the association between the frequency of tooth scaling and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, a group of 7164 participants who underwent tooth scaling was compared with another group of 7164 participants without tooth scaling through propensity score matching to assess AMI risk by Cox's proportional hazard regression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigher rates of poor cognitive performance are known to prevail among persons with tinnitus in all age groups. However, no study has explored the association between tinnitus and early-onset dementia. We hypothesize that tinnitus may precede or occur concurrently with subclinical or early onset dementia in adults younger than 65 years of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Taiwan, rotavirus vaccination was implemented in 2006 in the private sector. The population-based impact of rotavirus vaccination on gastroenteritis and comorbidities of children remains under-investigated.We analyzed the annual prevalence of rotavirus-related disease, including gastroenteritis, convulsions, epilepsy, type I diabetes mellitus, intussusception, and biliary atresia among children under 5 years of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe magnetic assisted capsule endoscope (MACE) with a hand-held magnetic field navigator (MFN) for upper gastrointestinal examination achieved satisfactory results in a healthy volunteer study. We evaluated the feasibility of upper gastrointestinal examination in the home care setting with the MACE system. Home care patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms that received an MACE exam were enrolled in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To investigate the impact of initial decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) following sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) treatment.
Materials And Methods: We used medical data from a multicentre healthcare provider in Taiwan and recruited 11 769 patients with T2D with baseline/follow-up eGFR data available after 1 to 3 months of SGLT2i treatment from 1 June 2016 to 31 December 2018. Patients were followed up from the drug index date until the occurrence of adverse clinical events, SGLT2i discontinuation or the end of the study period, whichever took place first.