Bidirectional association between major depressive disorder and dementia: Two population-based cohort studies in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and dementia are both major contributors to the global burden of disease. Despite existing literature on the association between MDD and dementia, there is a lack of a nationwide longitudinal cohort study that considers the competing risk of death. Therefore, this study assessed the bidirectional associations between MDD and dementia over an 11-year period in population-based settings, accounting for death as a competing risk. METHODS: We conducted two population-based retrospective cohort studies in Taiwan. We identified 80,742 patients diagnosed with MDD in 2009-2010 and matched them with patients without MDD by sex, age, and year of diagnosis to assess the relative risk of dementia. We also identified 80,108 patients diagnosed with dementia in 2009-2010 and matched them with patients without dementia by sex, age, and year of diagnosis to assess the relative risk of MDD. All patients were followed until they received a diagnosis of new onset MDD or new onset dementia, their death, or the end of 2019. Cause-specific hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs). RESULTS: The incidence density (ID) of dementia was higher in patients with MDD than in patients without MDD (7.63 vs. 2.99 per 1000 person-years), with an aHR of 2.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.55-2.88). The ID of MDD was higher in patients with dementia than in patients without dementia (12.77 vs. 4.69 per 1000 person-years), with an aHR of 2.47 (95% CI: 2.35-2.59). CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study found a bidirectional association between MDD and dementia. Our findings suggest the need to identify dementia in patients with MDD and vice versa.

Emergency department visits and associated factors among people with dementia residing in nursing homes in Taiwan: a one-year cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Residing in a nursing home (NH) may increase emergency department (ED) utilization in patients with dementia; however, evidence regarding the status of and predictors for ED utilization of NH residents with dementia remains unclear, especially in Asia. This study aimed to assess the incidence density of ED visits and associated factors for the risk of ED utilization among NH residents with dementia. METHODS: This one-year cohort study followed 6595 NH residents with dementia aged ≧ 40 years from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2012 and 2014. The Andersen-Gill extension of Cox regression analysis with death as a competing risk was applied to investigate the association of the risk of all causes and the most common causes of ED utilization with the predisposing, enabling, and need factors as defined by the Andersen model. RESULTS: All participants encountered 9254 emergency visits in the 5371.49 person-years observed, representing incidence densities of ED visits of 1722.80 per 1000 person-years. Among them, respiratory disease was the most common cause of ED visits. The significant predictors for the risk of all-cause and respiratory-cause ED visits included: (1) predisposing factors (i.e., age and gender); (2) enabling factors (i.e., regional variables); and (3) need factors (i.e., prolonged ventilator dependence and comorbidity status). CONCLUSIONS: Predisposing, enabling, and need factors could influence ED visits among studies patients. NH providers should consider these factors to develop strategies for reducing ED utilization.

Risks of organ failures and deaths associated with young-onset dementia after hospitalizations for motor vehicle crash injuries: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study.

Patients with dementia are at increased risks of adverse consequences associated with motor vehicle crash injury (MVCI). However, studies of the association for patients with young-onset dementia (YOD) are limited. Therefore, we aim to investigate whether YOD was associated with adverse outcomes after hospitalization for MVCI. In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 2052 MVCI patients with YOD (aged 40-64 years) between 2006 and 2015 and included 10 260 matched MVCI patients without YOD (matching ratio: 1:5) from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and the Taiwan Police-Reported Traffic Accident Registry. We evaluated the intensive care unit (ICU) admission, organ failure, in-hospital and 30-day mortalities, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs. Compared with participants without dementia, patients with YOD had higher rates of ICU admission (34.31% vs. 20.89%) and respiratory failure (6.04% vs. 2.94%), with a covariate-adjusted odds ratio of 1.50 (95% CI 1.33-1.70) and 1.63 (95% CI 1.24-2.13), respectively. The patients also exhibited higher in-hospital mortality (4.73% vs. 3.12%) and 30-day mortality (5.12% vs. 3.34%) than their non-YOD counterparts, but the risk ratio was not significant after adjusting for transport mode. Moreover, the log means of hospital stay and cost were higher among patients with YOD (0.09 days; 95% CI 0.04-0.14 and NT$0.17; 95% CI 0.11-0.23, respectively). This cohort study determined that YOD may be adversely associated with hospital outcomes among MVCI patients. However, the association between YOD and mortality risk may depend on transport mode.

Health-care utilization among dementia patients with or without comorbid depression in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the association of comorbid depression with health-care utilization among dementia patients. This study compared health-care utilization between dementia patients with and without comorbid depression. METHODS: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 10,710 patients with newly diagnosed dementia between 2005 and 2014: 1785 had comorbid depression (group 1) and 8925 did not (group 2). Patients were tracked for 1 year to evaluate outpatient, emergency, and inpatient service utilization and length of hospital stay (LOS). Multivariable regression was applied to examine the association between comorbid depression and health-care utilization and analyze factors associated with inpatient visits and LOS. RESULTS: Group 1 had significantly fewer outpatient visits (ß = -0.115; p < 0.001), more inpatient visits (ß = 0.157; p = 0.005), and a longer LOS (ß = 0.191; p < 0.001) than did group 2. The groups did not differ significantly in emergency visits (ß = 0.030; p = 0.537). In group 1, age, gender, and specific comorbidities were predictors of inpatient visits; those factors and salary-based insurance premiums were predictors of LOS. CONCLUSION: Group 1 utilized less outpatient care but more inpatient care, suggesting health-care service for these patients may be needed to improvement.

Exploring mediational roles for self-stigma in associations between types of problematic use of internet and psychological distress in youth with ADHD.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have linked the problematic use of the Internet (PUI) to psychological distress. Youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are considered a particular disadvantaged population with a high risk of developing PUI, psychological distress, and self-stigma. Nonetheless, the interrelationships of PUI, self-stigma, and psychological distress in adolescents with ADHD are not well understood. AIMS: This study investigated whether self-stigma mediates relationships between different forms of PUI, such as problematic gaming (PG), problematic social media use (PSMU), problematic smartphone use (PSPU), and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress), in children with ADHD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We recruited 100 youth with ADHD (mean age=10.80 [SD=3.07] years; 84 boys) from psychiatric outpatient clinics in Taiwan. All participants were assessed for PUI (via Internet Gaming Disorder-Short Form for PG, Bergan Social Medica Addiction Scale for PSMU, and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale for PSPU), self-stigma (via Self-Stigma Short-Scale), and psychological distress (via Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The results of path and bootstrapping analyses indicated that self-stigma mediated the associations between PSMU and PSPU, but not PG, and depression, anxiety, and stress. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study expands the extant literature by revealing that self-stigma mediates the association between specific forms of PUI and psychological distress in adolescents with ADHD. Interventions aimed at reducing self-stigma and PUI, particularly PSMU and PSPU, may help decrease psychological distress among adolescents with ADHD.

Association Between Young-Onset Dementia and Risk of Hospitalization for Motor Vehicle Crash Injury in Taiwan.

Importance: Several studies have suggested that older-onset dementia is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crash injury (MVCI). However, evidence of an association between young-onset dementia and the risk of MVCI is insufficient, particularly in Asia. Objective: To investigate the association between young-onset dementia and MVCI-related hospitalization in Taiwan. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this nationwide, population-based cohort study in Taiwan, a cohort of 39 344 patients aged 40 to 64 years with incident dementia diagnosed between 2006 and 2012 was matched 1:1 with a cohort of participants without dementia by age, sex, and index year (initial diagnosis of dementia). Participants were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Data were analyzed between March 25 and October 22, 2021. Exposures: Dementia, defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Main Outcomes and Measures: Hospitalization for MVCI, determined using linked data from Taiwan's Police-Reported Traffic Accident Registry and the NHIRD from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2015. Hazard ratios (HRs) for MVCI-related hospitalization were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for sex, age, salary-based insurance premium, urbanization level, and comorbidities. Results: Of the 78 688 participants, 47 034 (59.8%) were male; the mean (SD) age was 54.5 (7.4) years. During the 10-year follow-up period, the incidence density of MVCI-related hospitalization was 45.58 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI, 42.77-48.39 per 10 000 person-years) among participants with dementia and 24.10 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI, 22.22-25.99 per 10 000 person-years) among participants without dementia. Compared with participants without dementia, patients with young-onset dementia were at higher risk of MVCI-related hospitalization (adjusted HR [aHR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.63-2.06), especially those in younger age groups (aged 40-44 years: aHR, 3.54; 95% CI, 2.48-5.07) and within a shorter period (within 1 year of follow-up: aHR, 3.53; 95% CI, 2.50-4.98) after dementia was diagnosed. Patients with young-onset dementia also had a higher risk of being a pedestrian when the crash occurred (aHR, 2.89; 95% CI, 2.04-4.11), having an intracranial or internal injury (aHR, 2.44; 95% CI, 2.02-2.94), and having a severe injury (aHR, 2.90; 95% CI, 2.16-3.89). Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective cohort study, patients in Taiwan with a diagnosis of young-onset dementia had a higher risk of MVCI-related hospitalization than did individuals without dementia and the risk varied by age, disease duration, transport mode, injury type, and injury severity. These findings suggest a need for the planning of strategies to prevent transportation crashes among patients with young-onset dementia.

Rural-urban Disparities in the Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Taiwan: A Door-to-door Nationwide Study.

BACKGROUND: Screening or diagnosis for the elderly with dementia in rural regions might be delayed and underestimated due to limited utilization of healthcare resources. This study aimed to evaluate the disparities of prevalence and risk factors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia between urban and rural residence. METHODS: In this nationwide door-to-door survey, 10,432 participants aged 65 years and more were selected through computerized random sampling from all administrative districts in Taiwan and were assessed using an in-person interview. We calculated the prevalence of MCI and dementia, with their risk factors examined using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of dementia in rural, suburban, and urban areas among the elderly was 8.69% (95% CI, 8.68-8.69), 6.63% (95% CI, 6.62-6.63), and 4.46% (95% CI, 4.46-4.47), respectively. A similar rural-suburban-urban gradient relationship on the dementia prevalence was observed in any age and sex group. The rural:urban ratio was higher in women than in men for both MCI and dementia. Urbanization remained to be an independent factor for both MCI and dementia after adjustment for age, gender, education, lifestyle, and health status. The beneficial effects of exercise on dementia were more evident in rural areas than in urban ones. CONCLUSION: Significantly higher prevalence of MCI and dementia were found in rural areas than in urban ones, especially for women. The odds of risk factors for MCI and dementia varied by urbanization status. Focus on the rural-urban inequality and the modification of associated factors specifically for different urbanization levels are needed.

Prognostic Features of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: An Analysis of Taiwan's Nationwide Surveillance.

OBJECTIVES: To study the prognostic features of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and shed light on its future therapy. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of a longitudinal national cohort of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All patients with suspected CJD are reported to the CJD surveillance unit of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. An expert committee discussed the reported cases and designated a consensus-based diagnosis. From 1996 to 2020, a total of 809 cases were referred to the CJD surveillance unit for confirmation; of these, 441 cases (women, n = 230) were determined to be sporadic CJD. METHODS: We investigated the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings for 400 patients diagnosed with definite or probable sporadic CJD. We used Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazards model to identify prognostic factors. RESULTS: The mean age of onset was 67 ± 9.9 years. The mean survival duration was 13.3 ± 14.2 (median 10) months. The leading clinical symptoms were myoclonus (73%) and akinetic mutism (54%). For PRNP polymorphism, 99% of patients (195/197) showed a methionine homozygous genotype at codon 129 (M129M). The sensitivity of periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWCs) on electroencephalograms (EEGs) was 59.7%. The sensitivity of cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein and total tau protein (>1200 pg/mL) were 69.7% and 75.6%, respectively. Younger patients lived longer than those aged ≥65 years [hazard ratio (HR) 0.466, P < .001]. Women had a better survival probability in the first 3 years than their male counterparts (HR 0.712, P = .005). PSWCs had a persistent negative effect on survival (HR 0.788, P < .05). Although uncommon, epileptic seizures were the only clinical prognostic factor for survival time (HR 0.768, P < .05). PSWCs can be used as an EEG biomarker for prognosis. Epileptic seizures, though not common, are the only clinical prognostic factor for a short survival. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We found that a lower age of onset and female gender favor the survival of patients with sCJD. PSWCs are EEG biomarkers unfavorable for survival, and so are epileptic seizures.

Incidence of and Mortality Due to Human Prion Diseases in Taiwan: A Prospective 20-Year Nationwide Surveillance Study from 1998 to 2017.

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiologic studies of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have been undertaken worldwide since the new variant CJD outbreak in 1996 in the United Kingdom. A nationwide report system, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (CJDSU), directed by the Centers for Disease Control of Taiwan, was established in 1997 to identify human prion diseases. METHODS: From 1998 to 2017, 647 cases were referred to the committee for confirmation. The report to CJDSU included a structured questionnaire recording the clinical, demographic data, and potential iatrogenic exposure, and the results of the clinical and laboratory examination, including tests of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, electroencephalography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: In total, 356 cases (women, n=178) were ascertained to be human prion diseases, and 97.4% (n=347) were sporadic CJD, including three definite, 314 probable, and 30 possible cases; one probable variant CJD and 8 cases of the genetic form human prion diseases. The age- and gender-specific average annual incidence were also significantly higher in the second decade (0.95/1,000,000) than in the first decade (0.63/1,000,000), with an incidence rate ratio of 1.51. The incidences increased with increasing age, reaching a peak at the age of 70-79 years. The 10-year survival curve for sCJD patients showed that the 1-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative survival rate were 52%, 5%, and 1%, respectively. PRNP polymorphisms in 170 patients showed that 98.8% were M129M and 97.6% E219E. DISCUSSION: The significant increase in incidence after 2008 suggests the increase in the awareness of this rare disease among physicians. The longer disease duration in patients with sCJD in Taiwan than in other countries indicates that the comprehensive support of the health care system, as well as the end-of-life care culture in Taiwan, may prolong survival time in patients with such a progressive and fatal disease.

Effects of physical and social environments on the risk of dementia among Taiwanese older adults: a population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Physical and social environments may influence cognition health in older adults. However, evidence regarding physical and social environments linked to dementia is lacking, especially in Asia. This study aims to explore the influence of physical and social environments on the incidence of dementia through a population-based case-control design in Taiwan. METHODS: We identified 26,206 incident cases with dementia aged≧65 years in 2010, with the same no. of controls from National Health Insurance claims. Environmental measures were collected from government statistics including three physical environments and three social environments. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the association between dementia incidence and the environmental measures at the township level. RESULTS: We observed a significant reduction of 12% in the odds ratios of dementia in areas with higher availability of playgrounds and sport venues (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95), after controlling for individual and other environmental characteristics. Community center availability was also significantly associated with an 8% decreased odds for dementia (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.87-0.99), but the association was not significant after further consideration of individual-level characteristics. Although higher odds of dementia were found in areas with high median annual family income (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.04-1.25), such a significant relationship did not appear in the full model. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that specific physical and social environmental features have different influences on the risk of dementia. Public health interventions may consider these environmental aspects for preventing dementia incidence.

Gender and Age Differences and the Trend in the Incidence and Prevalence of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease in Taiwan: A 7-Year National Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Very few nationwide studies have focused on the variations in the incidence and prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Asian countries. This study aims to describe the gender and age differences in the incidence and prevalence of dementia and AD in Taiwan. METHODS: The data on dementia and AD were acquired from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2004 to 2010. The sex and age-specific rates were standardized, and the differences of gender and age on dementia or AD were assessed using Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: Over seven years, the prevalence of dementia and AD significantly increased from 4.7 to 7.6 per hundred people (ß = 0.0784, p < 0.0001) and 2.3 to 3.5 per hundred people (ß = 0.0696, p < 0.0001), respectively. However, the incidence of both dementia and AD decreased but not significantly from 10.9 to 10.7 and 4.9 to 4.6 per thousand person-years, respectively. Noticeably, both incidence and prevalence increased with age and were higher in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: The standardized incidence rates of dementia and AD are much lower than the data reported in some studies from Europe, the US, and Japan. Further studies are warranted to explore which factors are associated with the differences in the incidence of dementia and AD in Taiwan.

Association of Environmental Features and the Risk of Alzheimer's Dementia in Older Adults: A Nationwide Longitudinal Case-Control Study.

Little is known about the association between environmental features and the risk of Alzheimer's dementia (AD). This study aims to investigate the association of physical and social environments with the incidence of AD. We identified 12,401 newly diagnosed AD cases aged ≥65 years in 2010, with the same no. of matched controls from National Health Insurance claims in Taiwan. Environmental data were collected from government statistics including three physical environments and three social environments. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted to calculate the odds ratios (OR) of AD in association with environmental features at the township level. Results showed that living in the areas with higher availability of playgrounds and sport venues was associated with a 3% decreased odds of AD (95% CI = 0.96-0.99), while higher density of elderly living alone was associated with a 5% increased odds of AD (95% CI = 1.01-1.11), after controlling for individual and other environmental factors. In further examination by urbanization level, the above relationships were found only in rural areas but not in urban areas. This study provides evidence that specific physical and social environmental features have different impacts on the risk of AD.

Risk of dementia after Parkinson's disease in Taiwan: a population-based retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance claims.

OBJECTIVES: A nationwide cohort study on the risk of dementia onset after first diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is lacking. This study aims to assess 11 years of incidence and the HRs for developing dementia in patients with PD compared with matched controls. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study. SETTING: National Health Insurance database in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5932 patients with PD were identified, and 29 645 age-matched, sex-matched and index year-matched PD-free individuals were randomly selected. OUTCOME MEASURES: All subjects were linked to the claim data to identify the first diagnosis of dementia. The Poisson assumption was used to estimate the incidence rate. Cause-specific hazards models with a partitioning of time at 1 year to account for proportionality were used to estimate the risk of dementia onset. RESULTS: The median duration from the first diagnosis of PD to the development of dementia was 9.02 years. In the first partition (≦ 1 year), the incidence of dementia in the PD and control groups was 114.49 and 9.76 per 1000 person-years, respectively, with an adjusted HR of 6.43 (95% CI 5.46 to 7.57). In the second partition (>1 year), the incidence of dementia in the PD and control groups was 30.99 and 10.83 per 1000 person-years, with an adjusted HR of 2.42 (95% CI 2.23 to 2.61). Notably, in the second partition, both men and women aged <70 years had the highest HR (3.82, 95% CI 2.79 to 5.22 and 4.27, 95% CI 3.25 to 5.63, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study noted an increased risk of dementia after a diagnosis of PD. The magnitude of effect estimation was higher in men in the first partition but was similar in both genders in the second partition. PD patients aged <70 years have the highest risk of dementia in any given partition time.

Traffic-related air pollution increased the risk of Parkinson's disease in Taiwan: A nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution has been associated with many health conditions, but little is known about its effects on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we investigated the influence of ambient air pollution on PD in a nationwide population-based case-control study in Taiwan. METHODS: We identified 11,117 incident PD patients between 2007 and 2009 from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database and selected 44,468 age- and gender-matched population controls from the longitudinal health insurance database. The average ambient pollutant exposure concentrations from 1998 through the onset of PD were estimated using quantile-based Bayesian Maximum Entropy models. Basing from logistic regression models, we estimated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of ambient pollutant exposures and PD risk. RESULTS: We observed positive associations between NOx, CO exposures, and PD. In multi-pollutant models, for NOx and CO above the 75th percentile exposure compared with the lowest percentile, the ORs of PD were 1.37 (95% CI=1.23-1.52) and 1.17 (95% CI=1.07-1.27), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that ambient air pollution exposure, especially from traffic-related pollutants such as NOx and CO, increases PD risk in the Taiwanese population.

Variations in Incidence and Prevalence of Parkinson's Disease in Taiwan: A Population-Based Nationwide Study.

Demographic, socioeconomic, and urbanization level variations in Parkinson's disease (PD) are rarely investigated, especially in Asia. This study describes an eight-year trend in PD incidence and prevalence in Taiwan as well as assessing the effects of sociodemographics and urbanization on the incidence and prevalence of PD. The data analyzed were acquired from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) entries between 2002 and 2009. The calendar year, sex, and age-specific rates were standardized, and the effects of the sociodemographics and urbanization on PD were assessed using Poisson regression analysis. PD incidence and prevalence showed a significantly increasing trend, with a greater magnitude noted for prevalence than for incidence (87.3% versus 9.2%). The PD incidence and prevalence increased with age and were slightly higher in men than in women. The people who were not under the labor force (i.e., dependents) or with lower monthly incomes were at significantly increased adjusted incidence rate ratio (1.50-1.56) and adjusted prevalence rate ratio (1.66-1.71) of PD. Moreover, significantly higher PD incidence and prevalence were noted in areas with lesser urbanization. This information emphasizes the need for preventive and clinical care strategies targeting the segment of Taiwanese population that exhibited a greater incidence and prevalence of PD.

Risk of Developing Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To compare risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) between diabetic patients receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy and those treated by Western medicine (WM). METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 13,655 diabetic patients receiving solely TCM and 435,165 patients treated exclusively by WM. Study patients were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) ambulatory claims in 2000-2001. These patients were then linked to the 2000-2008 NHI inpatient claims, searching for possible new onset of hospitalization for CAD. A Cox proportional hazard model and logistic regression model were used to assess the hazard ratio of CAD admission and odds ratio (OR) of higher rates of admission for CAD in relation to TCM. RESULTS: During 9 years of follow-up, 2607 diabetic patients with TCM were hospitalized for CAD, representing a cumulative incidence rate of 19.1% and an incidence density of 50.5 per 1000 person-years. The corresponding figures for patients treated by WM were 24.1% and 72.7 per 1000 person-years. Compared with the patients treated by WM, those treated by TCM were associated with a slightly reduced, but insignificantly, adjusted OR of CAD admission (0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.92-1.01). Moreover, the adjusted OR for a higher rate (≥0.212 admission per person-year) of CAD admission for the patients with TCM was also insignificantly decreased at 0.97. CONCLUSIONS: After adjustment for prior co-morbidity score, risk or rate of CAD admission did not significantly differ between diabetic patients receiving TCM therapy and those treated by WM, suggesting that TCM is as efficacious as WM in preventing diabetes from being complicated with CAD.

Are diabetic physicians at a lower risk of hospitalization for coronary heart disease? A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan.

It is not uncommon for physicians to work through illness and to be reluctant to seek health care from their colleagues, which is detrimental for quality of care. This study sought to assess the risk of admission for coronary artery diseases (CADs) in diabetic physicians. A cohort of 995 diabetic physicians and 9950 age- and sex-matched controls with diabetes were identified in 2000 and were followed to the end of 2008. Over an 8-year period, 200 (20.1%) diabetic physicians and 2255 (22.7%) controls were admitted for CAD. After controlling for potential confounders, diabetic physicians experienced a reduced, but insignificantly, adjusted odds ratio (OR) of CAD admission (OR = 0.89; 95% confidence interval = 0.75-1.06). Diabetic physicians in Taiwan were not at a significantly reduced risk of CAD admission. Future studies are needed to further explore the barriers that impede diabetic physicians from appropriately managing their disease.

Separate and joint effects of diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease on the risk of acute coronary syndrome: a population-based cohort study.

Patient with diabetes (DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a higher risk of developing acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, only a few studies have investigated the separate and joint effects of DM and CKD on the risk of ACS, especially population-based studies under age-, sex- and various cardiovascular risk factor-stratifications. By using a national diabetes cohort derived from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified a total of 416,143 DM and 541,724 non-DM patients, including 51,208 DM/CKD and 8,894 non-DM/CKD patients, in 2000 who did not have a history of ACS (ICD-9: 410.X, 413.9, 411.1) before 2000. We then prospectively investigated the incidence of ACS by linking to inpatient claims data from 2000 to 2007. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the relative risk of ACS in individuals with DM and/or CKD under various stratifications. Age- and sex-specific incidence rates were similar between the non-DM/CKD and DM/non-CKD groups, except for female patients under 45 years, in whom DM was associated with a higher risk of ACS than CKD (8.21 vs. 3.82 per 1000 person-years). In the group aged <45 years, the DM/non-CKD patients were associated with a higher relative hazard of ACS than those in the non-DM/CKD group when compared with the non-DM/non-CKD group (men: adjusted hazard ratios [AHR]:1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.61-1.93 vs. 1.42 [95% CI: 0.73-2.73]; women 1.97 [95% CI: 1.76-2.20] vs. 1.13 [95% CI: 0.36-3.52]). This discrepancy in AHR was reduced with increasing age. The co-existence of DM and CKD further enhanced the AHR in a multiplicative independent manner. A significant age-modification effect was noted in the DM individuals regardless of their CKD status, but not in the non-DM/CKD group. In stratification by various cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes had a higher risk of ACS than CKD in patients with ≤2 selected risk factors, with the exception of the hyperlipidemia and hypertension subgroup. When all three selected risk factors were included, CKD was associated with a higher risk of ACS than DM (AHR: 1.43 [1.27-1.60] vs. 1.25 [1.22-1.29]). In conclusion, DM and CKD were associated with different levels of risk for ACS according to age, sex and certain cardiovascular risk factors. Strategies aimed at preventing ACS should therefore be individualized according to the presence of DM, CKD and various cardiovascular risk factors.

A nine-year population-based cohort study on the risk of multiple sclerosis in patients with optic neuritis.

Patients with optic neuritis (ON) are at an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), an illness that may result in physical dysfunction and short life expectancy. Information on the conversion rate to MS of patients with ON is essential in determining the impact of ON on the incidence of MS. Previous Taiwanese studies on the risk of MS in patients with ON were all hospital based, thereby limiting the generalizability of the findings. We aimed to estimate the risk of MS in patients with ON using a nationally representative sample. A cohort of 2,741 patients who sought outpatient care for ON in 2000 was identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance claims. The control group consisted of 27,330 age- and sex-matched subjects randomly selected from all beneficiaries in 2000. The person-year approach with Poisson assumption was used to estimate the incidence rate of MS from 2000 to 2008. The relative risk of outpatient visit or hospitalization for MS was estimated using the Cox proportional hazard model. The incidence rates of MS in the ON and control groups were 25.6 and 0.4, respectively, per 10,000 person-years; these values represent a relative risk estimate of 30.84 (95% confidence interval: 14.48 to 65.73) after the potential confounders were considered. Female or younger patients with ON were associated with a significantly elevated risk of developing MS. This study found that Taiwanese patients with ON are at a substantially high relative risk of developing MS. In addition to patients with ON, female and younger people should also receive intensive neurological care to further reduce their risk of developing MS.

Effect of diabetes on mortality and length of hospital stay in patients with renal or perinephric abscess.

OBJECTIVES: We compared the risk of in-hospital mortality and the length of hospital stay between diabetic and non-diabetic patients hospitalized for renal or perinephric abscess. METHOD: The data analyzed in this study were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance claims. The risk of in-hospital mortality and the length of hospital stay were compared between 1,715 diabetic patients, hospitalized because of renal or perinephric abscess in Taiwan between 1997 and 2007, and a random sample of 477 non-diabetes patients with renal or perinephric abscess. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality rates from renal or perinephric abscess for the diabetic patients and the non-diabetic patients were not different, at 2.3% and 3.4%, respectively. However, diabetes was significantly associated with a longer length of hospital stay among patients with renal abscess, by 3.38 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.59-5.17). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes does not increase the risk of in-hospital mortality from renal or perinephric abscess. Nevertheless, appropriate management of patients with diabetes and concurrent renal or perinephric abscess is essential to reduce the length of hospital stay.