Browsing by Author "Chen, Hung-An"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Decrease the Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease on Maintenance Dialysis: A Nationwide Matched-Cohort Study
(2015-10-21)
Tzeng, Nian-Sheng
;
Yin, Yun-Ju
;
Li, Chien-Hsun
;
Chen, Hung-An
;
Chiu, Shih-Hsiang
Background Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) cause the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance Hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). Many randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) have proved that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) can reduce the risk of MACE in the people with normal or impaired kidney function without dialysis. This study seeks to clarify whether ARBs therapy could also attenuate this risk in patients with ESRD on maintenance dialysis. Materials and Methods The National Health Research Institute provided a database of one million random subjects for the study. A random sample was taken of 1800 patients >= 18 years y/o with ESRD on dialysis without a history of MACE and use of ARBs within 6-months prior to enrollment. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors and compute the hazard ratios accompanying 95% confidence intervals. Results In these 1800 patients, 1061 had never used ARBs, while 224 had used them for 1-90 days, and 515 had used them for more than 90 days. We found that ARBs significantly decrease the incidences of acute myocardial infarctions (AMI), coronary artery diseases (CAD) requiring coronary stent or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), peripheral artery disease (PAD) requiring percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), and acute stroke. Cumulative prescription days of ARBs beyond 365-760 days or more were found to be negatively correlated with incidence of MACEs. For patients with dual comorbidity (i.e., mellitus and hyperlipidemia), 91-365 cumulative prescription days might also attenuate the risk. Conclusions For patients on maintenance dialysis, the use of ARBs could significantly attenuate the risk of major cardiovascular events: AMI, acute stroke, and PAD requiring PTA.
Association between Gastroenterological Malignancy and Diabetes Mellitus and Anti-Diabetic Therapy: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study
(2015-05-15)
Lin, Chien-Ming
;
Huang, Hui-Ling
;
Chu, Fang-Ying
;
Fan, Hueng-Chuen
;
Chen, Hung-An
Background The relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and cancer incidence has been evaluated in limited kinds of cancer. The effect of anti-diabetic therapy (ADT) on carcinogenesis among diabetic patients is also unclear. Materials and Methods Using population-based representative insurance claims data in Taiwan, 36,270 DM patients and 145,080 comparison subjects without DM were identified from claims from 2005 to 2010. The association between the top ten leading causes of cancer-related death in Taiwan and DM was evaluated. Whether ADT altered the risk of developing cancer was also investigated. Results Incidence of cancer at any site was significantly higher in patients with DM than in those without (p<0.001). The risk of carcinogenesis imparted by DM was greatest in gastroenterological malignancies (liver, pancreas, and colorectal cancer) as well as lung, breast and oral cancer (p<0.001). Among the oral types of ADT, metformin decreased the risk of lung and liver cancer, but had less effect on reducing the risk of colorectal cancer. alpha-glucosidase inhibitor decreased the risk of developing liver, colorectal, and breast cancer. Apart from intermediateacting insulin, rapid-acting, long-acting, and combination insulin treatment significantly reduced the overall cancer risk among all DM patients. In subgroup analysis, long-acting insulin treatment significantly decreased the risk of lung, liver, and colorectal cancer. Conclusion Our results supported the notion that pre-existing DM increases the incidence of gastroenterological cancer. ADT, especially metformin, alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, and long-acting insulin treatment, may protect patients with DM against these malignancies. It is crucial that oncologists should closely collaborate with endocrinologists to provide an optimal cancerspecific therapy and diabetic treatment to patients simultaneously with cancer and DM.
Increased Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis Associated with Cardiovascular Complications - A National Population-Based Cohort Study
(2015-09-25)
Chiu, Hsien-Yi
;
Huang, Hui-Ling
;
Li, Chien-Hsun
;
Chen, Hung-An
;
Yeh, Chia-Lun
Background and Objectives There have been few large population-based studies of the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) and glomerulonephritis. This nationwide cohort study investigated the risks of developing CKD and glomerulonephritis in patients with RA, and the associated risks for cardiovascular complications. Methods From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified a study cohort of 12,579 patients with RA and randomly selected 37,737 subjects without RA as a control cohort. Each subject was individually followed for up for 5 years, and the risk of CKD was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results During the follow-up period, after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors RA was independently associated with a significantly increased risk of CKD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23-1.40) and glomerulonephritis (aHR 1.55; 95% CI 1.37-1.76). Increased risk of CKD was also associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclosporine, glucocorticoids, mycophenolate mofetil, and cyclophosphamide. Patients with comorbidities had even greater increased risk of CKD. Moreover, RA patients with concurrent CKD had significantly higher likelihood of developing ischemic heart disease and stroke. Conclusions RA patients had higher risk of developing CKD and glomerulonephritis, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Their increased risk of CKD may be attributed to glomerulonephritis, chronic inflammation, comorbidities, and renal toxicity of antirheumatic drugs. Careful monitoring of renal function in RA patients and tight control of their comorbid diseases and cardiovascular risk factors are warranted.
Is Zolpidem Associated with Increased Risk of Fractures in the Elderly with Sleep Disorders? A Nationwide Case Cross-Over Study in Taiwan
(2015-12-30)
Tang, Yih-Jing
;
Ho, Shinn-Ying
;
Chu, Fang-Ying
;
Chen, Hung-An
;
Yin, Yun-Ju
Background We conducted a study using a case-crossover design to clarify the risk of acute effects of zolpidem and benzodiazepine on all-sites of fractures in the elderly. Design of study Case-crossover design. Methods and Materials Elderly enrollees (n = 6010) in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database with zolpidem or benzodiazepine use were analyzed for the risk of developing fractures. Results After adjusting for medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and diuretics, or comorbidities such as hypertension, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and depression, neither zolpidem nor benzodiazepine was found to be associated with increased risk in all-sites fractures. Subjects without depression were found to have an increased risk of fractures. Diazepam is the only benzodiazepine with increased risk of fractures after adjusting for medications and comorbidities. Hip and spine were particular sites for increased fracture risk, but following adjustment for comorbidities, the associations were found to be insignificant. Conclusion Neither zolpidem nor benzodiazepine was associated with increased risk of all-site fractures in this case cross-over study after adjusting for medications or comorbidities in elderly individuals with insomnia. Clinicians should balance the benefits and risks for prescribing zolpidem or benzodiazepine in the elderly accordingly.
The impact of comorbidity on survival after hemorrhagic stroke among dialysis patients: a nationwide population-based study
(2014-11-27)
Lin, Chun-Yu
;
Chien, Chih-Chiang
;
Chen, Hung-An
;
Su, Fu-Mei
;
Wang, Jhi-Joung
Background: This study was aimed at determining the outcome and examining the association between comorbidities and mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage in chronic dialysis patients. Methods: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and enrolled patients who underwent maintenance dialysis between 2000 and 2007. Annual incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage in patients receiving dialysis from 2000 to 2007 was determined. To identify predictors of hemorrhagic stroke, we used logistic regression model to estimate the relative ratio of factors for intracerebral hemorrhage in the most recent cohort (2007). The cumulative survival rate and comorbid conditions associated with mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage among all dialysis patients between 2000 and 2007 was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Results: We identified 57,261 patients on maintenance dialysis in the cohort of 2007, and 340 patients had history of intracerebral hemorrhage among them. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity of dialysis patients. The incidence rate of intracerebral hemorrhage among dialysis patients was about 0.6%. Adjusted logistic regression model showed that male gender, middle age (45-64 years), hypertension, and previous history of stroke were the independent predictors for the occurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage among chronic dialysis patients. 1,939 dialysis patients with development of intracerebral hemorrhage in the analysis period from 2000 to 2007 were identified. In-hospital mortality was high (36.15%) following intracerebral hemorrhage. They were followed up after intracerebral hemorrhage for a mean time of 41.56 months. Adjusted Cox regression analyses demonstrated that the factors independently associated with mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage among dialysis patients included diabetes mellitus, malignancy and a history of prior stroke. Conclusions: Dialysis patients who have history of prior stroke, diabetes and malignancy have worse survival than patients without these comorbidities. Attention must focus on providing optimal medical care after hemorrhagic stroke for these target groups to reduce mortality.