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Importance: The cancer risks associated with treatment with topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs) in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) remain controversial, and limited evidence exists regarding the cancer risks among patients with AD treated with TCIs in Asian populations. Objectives: This study identified the association between TCI use and the risks of developing all cancers, lymphoma, skin cancers, and other cancers. Design: This study was a nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study. Setting: Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Participants: Patients diagnosed at least twice with ICD-9 code 691 or at least one time with ICD-9 codes 691 or 692.9 within 1 year between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2010 were included and followed until 31 December 2018. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using the Cox proportional hazard ratio model. Exposures: Patients using tacrolimus or pimecrolimus were identified in the National Health Insurance Research Database and compared with patients using topical corticosteroids (TCSs). Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were hazard ratios (HRs) of cancer diagnoses and associated outcomes obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry database. Results: After propensity score (PS) matching, the final cohort included 195,925 patients with AD, including 39,185 who were initial TCI users and 156,740 who were TCS users. Propensity score matching was performed according to age, sex, index year, and Charlson Comorbidity Index using a ratio of 1:4. Except for leukemia, HR and 95% CI showed no significant associations between TCI use and the risk of developing all cancer, lymphoma, skin cancers, and other cancers. Sensitivity analysis showed that the lag time HRs for every cancer subtype continued to show no significant association between TCI use and cancer risk, except for leukemia. Conclusions and Relevance: Our study found no evidence to support an association between TCI use and the risks of almost all cancers compared with TCS use in patients with AD, but physicians should be aware of potentially higher risks of leukemia with TCI use. This study represents the first population-based study focused on the cancer risk of TCI use among patients with AD in an Asian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although bullous pemphigoid (BP) and atopic dermatitis (AD) share pathogenic mechanisms, their relationship remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a population-based case–control study to investigate the association between BP and AD in Taiwan. Based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 9344 patients with BP and 18,688 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled between 2000 and 2013. Furthermore, the study included 7,196 BP patients and 14,392 controls, matched for age, sex, and propensity score of comorbidities, with a case to controls ratio of 1:2. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between AD and BP. In the age- and sex-matched cohorts, AD (odds ratio [OR], 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–1.95) was independently associated with BP. In the age, sex, and comorbidities-matched cohorts, AD (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.55–2.00) remained a significant risk factor for BP. Other significant risk factors included psoriasis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neuropsychiatric diseases, and autoimmune connective tissue disease. Limitations of this study include the lack of information on disease severity and phenotypes of BP and misclassification of diseases as potential sources of bias. In conclusion, AD increased the risk of developing BP by 76%, and this association was independent of many BP comorbidities. Further studies are warranted to investigate the clinical and pathophysiological relevance of factors contributing to BP and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to conduct a retrospective analysis to understand the patient profile, treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and cost of atopic dermatitis (AD) of patients eligible for targeted therapy in Taiwan. Methods: A retrospective, claims-based analysis was undertaken using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2017. Patients aged ≥ 2 years and with at least one diagnosis code for AD during 2015 were identified. Patients with comorbid autoimmune diseases were excluded. Enrolled AD patients were categorized using claims-based treatment algorithms by disease severity and their eligibility for targeted therapy treatment. A cohort of targeted therapy-eligible patients was formed, and a matched cohort using patients not eligible for targeted therapy was derived using propensity score matching based on age, gender, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Treatment patterns, resource utilization, and costs were measured during a 1-year follow-up period. Results: A total of 377,423 patients with AD were identified for this study. Most patients had mild AD (84.5%; n = 318,830) with 11.9% (n = 45,035) having moderate AD, and 3.6% (n = 13,558) having severe AD. Within the 58,593 moderate-to-severe AD patients, 1.5% (n = 897) were included in the targeted therapy-eligible cohort. The matched cohort consisted of 3558 patients. During the 1-year follow-up period, targeted therapy-eligible patients utilized antihistamines (85.5%), topical treatments (80.8%), and systemic anti-inflammatories (91.6%) including systemic corticosteroids (51.4%) and azathioprine (59.1%). During the first year of follow-up, targeted therapy-eligible patients (70.5%; 7.01 [SD = 8.84] visits) had higher resource utilization rates and frequency of AD-related outpatient visits compared with the matched cohort (40.80%; 1.85 [SD = 4.71] visits). Average all-cause direct costs during 1-year follow-up were $2850 (SD = 3629) and $1841 (SD = 6434) for the eligible targeted therapy and matched cohorts, respectively. AD-related costs were 17.7% ($506) of total costs for the targeted therapy eligible cohort and 2.2% ($41) for the matched cohort. Conclusions: AD patients eligible for targeted therapy in Taiwan experienced high resource and economic burden compared with their non-targeted-therapy-eligible counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal frequency of water bathing/showering in atopic dermatitis (AD) is unknown. We sought to determine the efficacy of different bathing/showering frequencies at improving AD severity. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of studies evaluating the clinical efficacy of bathing/showering regimen in AD. MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, LILACS, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Taiwan electronic periodical services and CiNii were searched. Two authors independently performed title/abstract and full-text review and data extraction. All 13 included studies were prospective and demonstrated numerically reduced AD severity in patients treated with a water bathing/showering regimen in ≥ 1 time-point compared with baseline. In random-effects regression models, baths/showers ≥ 7 vs. < 7 times per week were not associated with significant differences of Cohen's D scores for eczema area and severity index (n = 5 studies; least-square means: 1.34 vs. 0.90; P = 0.45; I2 = 91.8), Scoring AD (n = 5 studies; 0.73 vs. 0.41; P = 0.13; I2 = 97.4) or body surface area (n = 4 studies; 0.45 vs. 0.28; P = 0.17; I2 = 93.4). Similar results were observed in sensitivity analyses by study design, quality, use of emollients, and use of topical corticosteroids. No publication bias was detected by Egger regression (P ≥ 0.26) or Begg rank (P ≥ 0.19) tests. Three studies were included in the qualitative analysis, which found that bathing/showering ≥ 7 resulted in significant improvement of Investigator Global Assessments, extent of skin lesions and itch caused by AD. In conclusion, the optimal frequency of water bathing/showering in AD remains unclear. Daily showers/baths were not associated with worse severity, and should be permitted in AD. Larger scale, well-designed RCT are still needed to determine the optimal bathing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the associations between allergic disease, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), and childhood nocturnal enuresis (NE). We examined whether allergic disease and SDB were associated with childhood NE. Methods: Data were assessed from the 2007-2012 Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We enrolled 4308 children aged 5-18 years having NE diagnosis and age- and sex-matched 4308 children as the control group. The odds ratios of NE were calculated to determine an association with preexisting allergic disease and SDB. Results: A total of 8616 children were included in the analysis. Prevalence of allergic diseases and SDB was significantly higher for the NE group than the control group (all p < 0.001). After adjusting odds ratios for potential confounding factors, except asthma, children with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had significantly higher odds of NE compared with children never diagnosed. With stratification for sex, girls with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis, OSA, and snoring had significantly higher odds of NE, compared with girls never diagnosed. Only boys with allergic rhinitis and OSA were associated with increased odds of NE. With stratification for age, children aged 5-12 years with allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and OSA had significantly higher odds of NE compared with those never diagnosed. Odds of NE increased with the number of comorbid allergic diseases. Conclusions: Allergic diseases and SDB are associated with increased odds of childhood NE. The odds of NE increased with the number of comorbid allergic diseases present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical and immunological studies have consistently shown a relationship between atopic diathesis and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). However, no large population cohort study has yet to demonstrate the nature of the relationship between these disorders. Methods: Claims data from a random selection of children representing half of the insured population in Taiwan were examined. During the period from 1998 to 2007, we identified 192,295 children aged <18 years with newly diagnosed atopic dermatitis (AD) and 769,169 frequency-matched controls. Incidence of INS and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. Results: The AD cohort had a 2-fold higher overall incidence of INS than the non-AD cohort [7.20 vs. 3.60 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.50-2.66]. The HR for INS increased with age and was higher among females. The HR for INS was also higher in AD children with more medical visits per year, ranging from 0.94 for those having ≤3 visits to 38.6 for those having >6 visits (trend test P < 0.0001). In particular, the risk of INS clearly increased during the initial 5 years after AD onset. Conclusions: Children with AD have a greater incidence and risk of developing INS and this risk increases with AD severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is common in children. Characteristic symptoms of AR may result in daytime inattention, irritability, and hyperactivity, which are also components of ADHD. Conflicting data in previous studies exist regarding the relationship between ADHD and AR. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk of AR in ADHD patients in Taiwan. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The study subjects included 469 patients who received psychiatric care for ADHD in 2005 and the general population ( n = 220,599). Distributions of age, gender, and living areas as well as allergic diseases in the general population and in the ADHD group were examined by χ tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of AR. The prevalence of AR in ADHD group and the general population was 28.4 and 15.2 %, respectively. The prevalence of asthma was 9.6 % in ADHD group and 6.4 % in the general population. Both the prevalence of AR ( p < 0.001) and asthma ( p = 0.008) was significantly higher in ADHD group than the general population. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ADHD patients had an increased rate of AR than general population (OR = 1.83; 95 % CI = 1.48-2.27; p < 0.0001), and asthma was strongly associated with AR (OR = 9.28; 95 % CI = 8.95-9.63; p < 0.0001). Our data showed that ADHD patients had an increased rate of AR. Therefore, psychiatrists should be more aware of the comorbidity of AR when treating ADHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]