Birth Outcomes of Infants Born to Mothers with Alopecia Areata: A Nationwide Population-based Study in Korea.

Data on pregnancy outcomes in patients with alopecia areata (AA) are limited. The aim of this study is to determine the association between maternal AA and risk of adverse birth outcomes in children. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 45,328 children born to mothers with AA and 4,703,253 controls born to mothers without AA using the Korean National Health Insurance Claims database from 2002 to 2016.

Cost-effectiveness of open versus laparoscopic pancreatectomy: A nationwide, population-based study.

Background: Laparoscopic pancreatic resection is comparable to open pancreatic resection; however, cost-effectiveness analyses of laparoscopic pancreatic resection are scarce. The authors performed a population-based study investigating the cost-effectiveness of laparoscopic pancreatic resection versus open pancreatic resection.

Methods: Data from 9,256 patients who received pancreaticoduodenectomy (66.

Smoking-attributable mortality among Korean adults in 2019.

Objectives: Tobacco use ranks among the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. This study was conducted to calculate the mortality rate attributable to smoking in Korea for 2019 and to highlight the importance of tracking and monitoring smoking-related deaths for public health purposes.

Methods: Population attributable risk (PAR) was used to estimate the number of deaths related to smoking in 2019.

The Association of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference with the Risk of Achilles Tendon Problems: A Nationwide Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with the risk of Achilles tendinopathy (AT) or Achilles tendon rupture (ATR), using data from a nationwide population-based cohort. We hypothesized that higher BMI and WC would be independently associated with the increased risk of AT or ATR. In addition, a higher WC may potentiate the association between BMI and the risk of Achilles tendon problems.

Long-Term Effects of a COMPASS Program on the Caregiving Journey: 1-Year Follow-Up in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: The number of older adults requiring long-term care (LTC) is increasing rapidly worldwide. The primary family caregivers of LTC recipients experience ongoing burdens and various challenges in their caregiving that adversely affect their own health and also the quality of caring that they provide to their loved ones. As a country becoming a super-aged society, South Korea has been making considerable efforts to improve the long-term effects on caregivers by providing them with support intervention programs.

Do Weight Changes Affect the Association between Smoking Cessation and the Risk of Stroke Subtypes in Korean Males?

(1) Background: We investigated whether weight changes affect the association between smoking cessation and stroke risk; (2) Methods: Overall, 719,040 males were categorized into eight groups according to smoking status (sustained smokers, non-smokers, long-term quitters (quit > 4 years), and recent quitters (quit < 4 years)) and post-cessation weight change (-5 kg, -5.0 to 0.1 kg, maintainers, 0.

Prediction of cancer survivors' mortality risk in Korea: a 25-year nationwide prospective cohort study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting cancer survival and develop a mortality prediction model for Korean cancer survivors. Our study identified lifestyle and mortality risk factors and attempted to determine whether health-promoting lifestyles affect mortality.

Methods: Among the 1,637,287 participants in the Korean Cancer Prevention Study (KCPS) cohort, 200,834 cancer survivors who were alive after cancer diagnosis were analyzed.

The 10-year multimorbidity trajectory and mortality risk in older people with long-term care needs.

Background: This study aimed to identify trajectories of multimorbidity in older adults prior to receiving long-term care benefits and to demonstrate their value in predicting mortality.

Methods: This study included 1,004,924 Korean beneficiaries who completed the National Long-Term Care Insurance (NLTCI) eligibility assessment between 2010 and 2016. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of 2 or more out of 23 chronic diseases related to disability in the 10 years before transitioning to long-term care.

Mediators of the Effect of Obesity on Stroke and Heart Disease Risk: Decomposing Direct and Indirect Effects.

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity are well known risk factors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We aimed to examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and ASCVD over a 23-year follow-up in young adults. We also qualified how much of the effects of obesity on ASCVD were mediated through blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose.

Projecting Informal Care Demand among Older Koreans between 2020 and 2067.

Background: The number of Korean older people receiving informal care is expected to rise sharply due to aging population. This study makes projections of demand for informal care in community-dwelling older people aged 65 and over in Korea until 2067.

Method: The study drew on data collected from waves 4-6 of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2012-2016, = 12,975).

The Insignificant Correlation between Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Incidence of Dementia Using an Extension Survival Cox Hazard Model and Propensity-Score Matching Analysis in a Retrospective, Population-Based Prostate Cancer Registry.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) on the incidence of dementia, after considering the time-dependent survival in patients with prostate cancer (PC) using a Korean population-based cancer registry database. After excluding patients with cerebrovascular disease and dementia before or within the 3-month-ADT and those with surgical castration, 9880 (19.3%) patients were matched into ADT and non-ADT groups using propensity-score matching (PSM) among 51,206 patients registered between 2006 and 2013.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in COVID-19 Incidence During Different Epidemic Phases in South Korea.

Objective: Area-level socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence. However, the underlying mechanism of the association is context-specific, and the choice of measure is still important. We aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic gradient regarding COVID-19 incidence in Korea based on several area-level SES measures.

Dyslipidemia Is Associated With Increased Risk of Achilles Tendon Disorders in Underweight Individuals to a Greater Extent Than Obese Individuals: A Nationwide, Population-Based, Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: The association between dyslipidemia and Achilles tendinopathy (AT) or Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) remains controversial, although some studies have examined this topic.

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation of dyslipidemia and the risk of AT or ATR, and its association with body mass index (BMI), by assessing data from a nationwide population-based cohort.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Clinical impact of follow-up imaging on mortality in Korean breast cancer patients: A national cohort study.

Background: As the incidence of breast cancer has increased and the survival rate has improved, supporting the optimal follow-up strategy has become an important issue. This study aimed to evaluate follow-up imaging usage after breast cancer surgery and the implications on mortality in Korea.

Methods: This study included 96,575 breast cancer patients diagnosed during 2002-2010 and registered in the Korea Central Cancer Registry, Statistics Korea, and Korean National Health Insurance Service.

Effect of Sedatives on In-hospital and Long-term Mortality of Critically Ill Patients Requiring Extended Mechanical Ventilation for ≥ 48 Hours.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between sedatives and mortality in critically ill patients who required mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥ 48 hours from 2008 to 2016.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study using population-based healthcare reimbursement claims database. Data from adult patients (aged ≥ 18) who underwent MV for ≥ 48 hours between 2008 and 2016 were identified and extracted from the National Health Insurance Service database.

Validation of Cancer Diagnosis Based on the National Health Insurance Service Database versus the National Cancer Registry Database in Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of operational definitions of cancer patients in conducting cancer-related studies using the claims data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).

Materials And Methods: Cancer incidence data were obtained from the Korean Central Cancer Registry, the NHIS primary diagnosis, and from the rare and intractable disease (RID) registration program.

Results: The operational definition with higher sensitivity for cancer patient verification was different by cancer type.

Survival in untreated hepatocellular carcinoma: A national cohort study.

This study aimed to analyze the proportion, characteristics and prognosis of untreated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in a large representative nationwide study. A cohort study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database in Korea. A total of 63,668 newly-diagnosed HCC patients between January 2008 and December 2013 were analyzed.

Risk of malignancy in Korean patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Objectives: To evaluate the risks of overall and site-specific malignancies in Korean patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: Using the Korean nationwide healthcare claims database, we constructed a retrospective cohort for prevalent pSS aged over 50 years. After enrollment between January 2012 and December 2014, patients were followed until the development of any malignancy, or until December 2015.

Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study of Lipid levels and Ischemic Heart Disease.

Background And Objectives: Associations between blood lipids and risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) have been reported in observational studies. However, due to confounding and reverse causation, observational studies are influenced by bias, thus their results show inconsistency in the effects of lipid levels on IHD. In this study, we evaluate whether lipid levels have an effect on the risk of IHD in a Korean population.

Trajectory of smoking and early bladder cancer risk among Korean young adult men.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the risk of bladder cancer according to the trajectory pattern of amount of smoking among Korean young adult men.

Methods: Smoking status was assessed with a standardized questionnaire in the Korean Life Course Health Study (KLCHS). Trajectory analyses were performed among young adult men using seven repeated surveys of cigarette per day (CPD) every two years from 1992 to 2005.

Significant Decline in the Incidence of Behçet's Disease in South Korea: A Nationwide Population-Based Study (2004-2017).

Objective: Long-term population-based data on change in the incidence of Behçet's disease (BD) are scarce, although a possible decline has been reported. The present study was undertaken to investigate the incidence, survival, and mortality of BD patients from 2004 to 2017 in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: We analyzed a registry of rare intractable diseases and a claims database from the Health Insurance and Review Agency with information on BD patients between 2004 and 2017 using uniform diagnostic criteria.

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Caregiver Orientation for Mobilizing Personal Assets and Strengths for Self-Care (COMPASS) for Caregiving Journey: A National Family Caregiver Support Program in a Long-Term Care Insurance System.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of a national support program on family caregivers for long-term care (LTC) recipients.

Design: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial compared the 8-week Caregiver Orientation for Mobilizing Personal Assets and Strengths for Self-Care (COMPASS) program consisting of 6 individual in-home, 3 group support, and 2 telephone sessions with a multicomponent intervention, and a control group.

Setting And Participants: In total, 969 caregivers who were living with LTC recipients assessed as having a high caregiving burden in 12 Korean cities.

Compliance of Antihypertensive Medication and Risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019: a Cohort Study Using Big Data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service.

Background: There is a controversy whether it is safe to continue renin-angiotensin system blockers in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We analyzed big data to investigate whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin II receptor blockers have any significant effect on the risk of COVID-19. Population-based cohort study was conducted based on the prescription data from nationwide health insurance records.

Time-Dependent Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Alopecia Areata in Korea.

Importance: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disease presenting as nonscarring hair loss. Although AA can be associated with other autoimmune comorbidities or atopic diseases, little is known about the risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with AA.

Objective: To investigate the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cardiovascular risk profiles (CVRPs) in patients with AA via a large-scale epidemiologic study.

Incidence, survival, and risk of cardiovascular events in adult inflammatory myopathies in South Korea: a nationwide population-based study.

Objective: Epidemiological studies on inflammatory myopathies (IMs) show widely variable results, and studies on Asians are lacking. Despite emerging interest in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with IMs, the prevalence of CVD in IM patients and its impact on mortality remain unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study on the incidence, mortality, and associated major CVD events of IMs in the Republic of Korea over 11 years.