Cha Ze Lee

Psoriasis and the Risk of Pneumonia: A Population-Based Study

Background Psoriasis is a prevalent autoimmune disorder. Various studies have reported on the relationship between psoriasis and chronic diseases but very few have explored the association between psoriasis and subsequent acute infection. This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the risk of pneumonia between subjects with and those without psoriasis. Methods The medical records of 14,022 patients with psoriasis and 14,022 without psoriasis were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. Each patient was followed-up for a three-year period. Cox proportional hazard regressions were performed to compare difference of subsequent pneumonia incidence between subjects with and those without psoriasis. Results There were 206 (1.47%) subjects with psoriasis and 138 (0.98%) without psoriasis hospitalized for pneumonia. By Cox proportional hazard regressions analysis, the HR (hazard ratio) of pneumonia requiring hospitalization for patients with psoriasis was 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21–1.86) compared to patients without psoriasis. The adjusted HR was 1.40 (95% CI: 1.12–1.73). The adjusted HR of pneumonia hospitalization for subjects with mild and severe psoriasis was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.09–1.70) and 1.68 (95% CI: 1.12–2.52), respectively, compared to those without psoriasis. Conclusions Patients with psoriasis have significantly higher incidence of pneumonia compared to those without psoriasis.

Sialolithiasis is associated with nephrolithiasis: a case-control study

Abstract Conclusions This study demonstrates an association between sialolithiasis and nephrolithiasis. The results call for more awareness of this association among physicians and patients with nephrolithiasis. Objective Very few empirical studies have been conducted to explore the potential association between sialolithiasis and nephrolithiasis. As such, the association between sialolithiasis and nephrolithiasis still remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the possible association between sialolithiasis and nephrolithiasis using a population-based dataset. Methods Using data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005, this case-control study identified 966 patients with sialolithiasis as cases and 2898 sex- and age-matched subjects without sialolithiasis as controls. Conditional logistic regressions were conducted to examine the association of sialolithiasis with previously diagnosed nephrolithiasis. Results Out of 3864 sampled patients, 165 (4.27%) had prior nephrolithiasis. Using Chi-square test, it was found that there was a significant difference in the prevalence of prior nephrolithiasis between the cases and controls (10.25% vs 2.28%, p < 0.001). Moreover, by conditional logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio of prior nephrolithiasis for cases was 4.74 (95% CI = 3.41–6.58, p < 0.001) when compared to controls after adjusting for monthly income, geographic location, urbanization level of residence, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, chronic renal disease, and tobacco use.

An appendectomy increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a five-year follow-up study.

Many studies have reported a possible association of an appendectomy with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, findings of the relationship between an appendectomy and RA remain inconsistent. Furthermore, all such studies were conducted in Western societies, and relevant studies on the relationship between an appendectomy and RA in Asian countries are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the relationship between an appendectomy and the subsequent risk of RA using a population-based dataset. We retrieved data for this retrospective cohort study from the Taiwan “Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005”. We included 4,294 subjects who underwent an appendectomy in the study cohort and 12,882 matched subjects in the comparison cohort. We individually tracked each subject for a 5-year period from their index date to identify those who developed RA. A stratified Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for the subsequent development of RA during the 5-year follow-up period between subjects who underwent an appendectomy and comparison subjects. Of the sampled subjects, 93 (0.54%) received a diagnosis of RA during the 5-year follow-up period: 33 from the study cohort (0.77% of subjects who underwent an appendectomy) and 60 from the comparison cohort (0.47% of comparison subjects) (p<0.001). After censoring individuals who died during the follow-up period and adjusting for subjects’ monthly income and geographic region, the HR of RA during the 5-year follow-up period was 1.61 (95% CI = 1.05~2.48) for subjects who underwent an appendectomy compared to comparison subjects. We found that among females, the adjusted HR of RA was 1.76 (95% CI = 1.04~2.96) for subjects who underwent an appendectomy compared to comparison subjects. However, there was no increased hazard of RA for males who underwent an appendectomy compared to comparison subjects. We concluded that female subjects who undergo an appendectomy have a higher risk of RA than comparison female subjects.

Appendectomy increased the risk of ischemic heart disease

BACKGROUND Although the appendix may not be considered vital, recent studies have noted adverse health consequences after appendectomy. This study aimed to use a population-based data set to explore whether appendectomy increases the risk for subsequent ischemic heart disease (IHD) in a 3-y follow-up period. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study used data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 in Taiwan. The study cohort included 5413 patients who underwent appendectomies. The comparison cohort was selected by randomly recruiting 16,239 enrollees matched with the study group in terms of sex, age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Each individual was tracked for 3 y to identify whether he and/or she developed IHD during the follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard regressions were performed for analysis. RESULTS During a 3-y follow-up, 196 (3.62%) and 375 (2.31%) IHD incidents developed in the study and the comparison cohorts, respectively. For adults aged ≥18 y, experiencing an appendectomy was independently associated with a 1.54-fold increased risk of IHD during the 3 y of follow-up (95% CI = 1.29-1.84). The association persisted in further analyses stratified by age. CONCLUSIONS There is an increased risk of subsequent IHD within 3 y after appendectomy, and this underscores the need for more serious clinical decision-making in removing the appendix. Regular monitoring for IHDs is also recommended for patients who have undergone an appendectomy.

Increased Risk of Depressive Disorder following Cholecystectomy for Gallstones

Background Prior studies indicate a possible association between depression and cholecystectomy, but no study has compared the risk of post-operative depressive disorders (DD) after cholecystectomy. This retrospective follow-up study aimed to examine the relationship between cholecystectomy and the risk of DD in patients with gallstones in a population-based database. Methods Using ambulatory care data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, 6755 patients who received a first-time principal diagnosis of gallstones at the emergency room (ER) were identified. Among them, 1197 underwent cholecystectomy. Each patient was then individually followed-up for two years to identify those who were later diagnosed with DD. Cox proportional hazards regressions were performed to estimate the risk of developing DD between patients with gallstone who did and those who did not undergo cholecystectomy. Results Of 6755 patients with gallstones, 173 (2.56%) were diagnosed with DD during the two-year follow-up. Among patients who did and those who did not undergo cholecystectomy, 3.51% and 2.36% later developed depressive disorder, respectively. After adjusting for the patient’s sex, age and geographic location, the hazard ratio (HR) of DD within two years of gallstone diagnosis was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.02–2.04) for patients who underwent cholecystectomy compared to those who did not. Females, but not males, had a higher the adjusted HR of DD (1.61; 95% CI, 1.08–2.41) for patients who underwent cholecystectomy compared to those who did not. Conclusions There is an association between cholecystectomy and subsequent risk of DD among females, but not in males.

Association between Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Dementia: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Taiwan

Background Most available studies focusing on the association between neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and dementia have conflicting results. This study aimed to investigate the association between previously diagnosed AMD and dementia using a population-based dataset in Taiwan. Methods Data for this case-control study were retrospectively collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 13,402 subjects who had a diagnosis of dementia as cases, and 40,206 subjects without dementia as controls. A conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association of dementia with previously diagnosed neovascular AMD. Results We found that of the study sample of 53,608 subjects, 1.01% had previously diagnosed neovascular AMD, 1.35% and 0.90% for cases and the controls, respectively (p<0.001). The conditional logistic regression analysis suggested that the odds ratio of prior neovascular AMD for cases was 1.37 (95% confidence interval: 1.14~1.65) compared to the controls after adjusting for subjects’ age, monthly income, geographic location, urbanization level, and hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and whether or not a subjects underwent cataract surgery prior to index date than controls. Conclusions Dementia subjects were associated with a higher proportion of prior neovascular AMD than were the controls.

Risk of new-onset type II diabetes after appendicectomy

Altered immune function after appendicectomy has been associated with autoimmune disease, even though the mechanisms are not clearly elucidated. This study aimed to investigate whether the frequency of new‐onset type II diabetes was increased after appendicectomy in a case–control study.

Diabetes increases the risk of an appendectomy in patients with antibiotic treatment of noncomplicated appendicitis

BACKGROUND This retrospective cohort study examined whether diabetic patients have a higher risk for recurrent appendicitis during a 1-year follow-up period after successful antibiotic treatment for patients with acute uncomplicated appendicitis than nondiabetic patients using a population-based database. METHODS We included 541 appendicitis patients who received antibiotic treatment for acute appendicitis. We individually tracked each patient for a 1-year period to identify those who subsequently underwent an appendectomy during the follow-up period. RESULTS Cox proportional hazard regressions suggested that the adjusted hazard ratio of an appendectomy during the 1-year follow-up period was 1.75 for appendicitis patients with diabetes than appendicitis patients without diabetes. We found that among females, the adjusted hazard ratio of an appendectomy was 2.18 for acute appendicitis patients with diabetes than their counterparts without diabetes. However, we failed to observe this relationship in males. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated a relationship between diabetes and a subsequent appendectomy in females who underwent antibiotic treatment for noncomplicated appendicitis.

Acute Appendicitis Is Associated with Peptic Ulcers: A Population-based Study

Despite some studies having indicated a possible association between appendicitis and duodenal ulcers, this association was mainly based on regional samples or limited clinician experiences, and as such, did not permit unequivocal conclusions. In this case-control study, we examined the association of acute appendicitis with peptic ulcers using a population-based database. We included 3574 patients with acute appendicitis as cases and 3574 sex- and age-matched controls. A Chi-squared test showed that there was a significant difference in the prevalences of prior peptic ulcers between cases and controls (21.7% vs. 16.8%, p < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of prior peptic ulcers for cases was 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24~1.54, p < 0.001) compared to controls. The results further revealed that younger groups demonstrated higher ORs for prior peptic ulcers among cases than controls. In particular, the adjusted OR for cases < 30 years old was as high as 1.65 (95% CI = 1.25~2.19; p < 0.001) compared to controls. However, we failed to observe an association of acute appendicitis with peptic ulcers in the ≥ 60-year age group (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.93~1.52). We concluded that there is an association between acute appendicitis and a previous diagnosis of peptic ulcers.

Weekly pattern of emergency room admissions for peptic ulcers: a population-based study.

AIM To investigate variations in the incidence of peptic ulcers (PUs) in Taiwan by day of the week within age subgroups. METHODS Ambulatory care data were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. There were 7204 subjects ≥ 18 years-old with an emergency room admission claim for the treatment of PUs, resulting in a total of 9234 emergency room visits for PUs between 2009 and 2011. Data was divided into the seven days of the week and an additional variable for holidays. One-way analysis of variance was used to examine associations among the daily mean number of PU emergency room admissions and holidays/weekends/weekdays. RESULTS One-way analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference in emergency room admissions for PUs by the day of the week (P < 0.001), with admission more likely to occur on Sundays or holidays than weekdays within the total and working populations. The weekday patterns of admission were similar for the patients aged 18-64 years and ≥ 65 years of age. Holidays, followed by Sundays, had higher PU admissions than the mean daily PU emergency room admissions. Furthermore, inclusion of only those treated for PUs with hemorrhage or perforation, Sundays and holidays had higher mean emergency room admissions than other days. Inclusion of patients who diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori infection, only holidays had higher mean emergency room admissions than other days. Inclusion of patients who had been prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for over 30 d, Sundays and holidays had higher mean PU ER admissions than other non-holiday weekdays. CONCLUSION There is a higher incidence of emergency room admission for PUs on weekends than on weekdays for the total and working populations.