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Background Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most common retinal vascular disease, with peak incidence at 70years of age. However, the bidirectional association between the risk of comorbidities and the diagnosis of RVO in this population is uncertain. Methods A population-based cohort of 1,784,960 patients 70years of age and older retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2010. Risks of comorbidities were assessed 5years before and after the diagnosis of RVO. Results In our study, 3393 subjects had central RVO (CRVO) and 6688 subjects had branch RVO (BRVO). Before the diagnosis of RVO, patients showed increased risks for the following comorbidities: hypertension (odds ratio [OR]=1.83, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74–1.93), dyslipidemia (OR=1.29, [1.23–1.35]), DM (OR=1.29, [1.23–1.35]), liver disease (OR=1.22, [1.16–1.29]), renal disease (OR=1.30, [1.23–1.37]), and cerebrovascular disease (OR=1.16, [1.11–1.21]). After the diagnosis of RVO, patients were at greater risk of developing DM (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]=1.12, [1.06–1.19]), PAD (AHR=1.17, [1.08–1.27]), and MACE (AHR=1.35, [1.25–1.46]); however, the risk of all-cause mortality was unchanged. Elderly patients with CRVO had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (AHR=1.09, [1.02–1.17]), whereas patients with BRVO showed no significant differences in mortality. Conclusion This study suggests bidirectional association between the risk of comorbidities and the diagnosis of RVO in an elderly population.

Background Recent clinical trials have evaluated the cardiovascular outcomes of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 ( DPP-4) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were ineligible for participation in these trials. We aimed to characterize the impact of DPP-4 inhibitors on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with T2DM and ESRD undergoing chronic dialysis. Methods This nationwide observational study utilized data from 3556 patients aged ≥20years with T2DM and ESRD who initiated treatment with DPP-4 inhibitors between 1 March 2009 and 31 June 2013, retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Each DPP-4 inhibitor user was matched to a non-user control subject using propensity scores. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and MACEs (ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction). The secondary outcomes were hospitalization for heart failure and hypoglycemia. All subjects were followed until death or 31 December 2013. Results Compared with non-users, DPP-4 inhibitor users had lower risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39–0.47), MACEs (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.65–0.90), and ischemic stroke (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.97); the risks of myocardial infarction and hospitalization for heart failure and hypoglycemia did not differ. This treatment effect remained consistent in subgroup analyses according to age, sex, comorbidities, dialysis modality, and insulin use. Conclusions In this nationwide ESRD cohort, DPP-4 inhibitor use was associated with reduced risks of all-cause mortality and ischemic stroke.

article i nfo Background:Guidelinesforhypertensionmanagementrecommendeitherangiotensin-convertingenzymeinhib- itors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) as first-line therapies for diabetes population. No head- to-head trial has been conducted to determine the priority of ACEI/ARB use for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in diabetes mellitus. Methods: Data on patients with newly diagnosed diabetes treated with ACEIs or ARBs were collected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database for the period 2000-2010. A total of 30,777 ARB users and 21,436 ACEI users were identified. One ARB user was matched to one ACEI user by propensity score. Intention-to-treat (ITT) and as-treated (AT) models were used. The primary outcomes were myocardial infarc- tion, ischemic stroke, and all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were hospitalization for acute kidney in- jury and hyperkalemia. Findings: Compared with ACEI users (n = 21,436), ARB users (n = 30,777) showed no significant difference in the outcomes of myocardial infarction (hazard ratio (HR): 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80 to 1.07), ische- mic stroke (HR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.87 to 1.04), or all-cause mortality (HR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.01) in the ITT anal- ysis. The risks of hospitalization for acute kidney injury and hyperkalemia also did not differ between groups. ACEI and ARB use also had similar effects on MACEs and adverse effects in the AT analysis. Conclusions: This large cohort study supports the comparative effectiveness of ACEIs and ARBs in terms of MACE outcomes in patients with incident diabetes.

Background There is substantial debate regarding the development of acute coronary syndrome in patients using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) combined with clopidogrel. However, data remain limited to address the effect of PPIs alone on the subsequent risk of myocardial infarction (MI). We aimed to explore the subsequent risk of MI in PPI users who had no previous history of MI. Methods The records of inpatients and outpatients with PPI prescriptions were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2009. We conducted two different study designs, the first using propensity score (PS)-matching analyses and the second using case-crossover analyses. The risk of developing MI for PPI users was analyzed in the PS-matched study. The association between risk of MI and prior PPI exposure was further validated in the case-crossover study. Results In the PS-matched study, we included 126,367 PPI users and 126,367 PS-matched PPI non-users. After 120days of follow-up, PPI use was associated with a 1.58-fold greater risk of MI (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]=1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.11 to 2.25). In the case-crossover study, adjusted odds ratios of PPI for MI risk were 4.61 (95% CI=1.76 to 12.07) for the 7-day window and 3.47 (95% CI=1.76 to 6.83) for the 14-day window. Conclusions Use of PPIs may be independently associated with an increased risk of MI. However, the benefits of PPIs may greatly outweigh the risks of adverse cardiovascular effects, with number needed to harm of 4357.