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Background The sodium (Na)/potassium (K) ratio was reported to be associated with blood pressure (BP). Recently, the Na/K ratio self-monitoring device using spot urine was established. We assessed whether the urinary Na/K ratio change measured using the Na/K device was positively associated with BP change in a health check-up setting. Methods We targeted 12,890 participants who attended the annually health check-up in Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan between 2017 and 2018. Tome city introduced urinary Na/K ratio measurement during health check-up since 2017. We assessed the relationship between change in urinary Na/K ratio and BP change using multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and change in body mass index (BMI) and alcohol intake. For each year, we compared the baseline characteristics according to the urinary Na/K ratio and BP level. Results The change in systolic BP and diastolic BP was positively associated with the change in urinary Na/K ratio. The average urinary Na/K ratio was significantly lower in 2018 than in 2017 (5.4±3.0 to 4.9±2.2, p < 0.01). Moreover, their systolic BP in 2018 (130.9±17.4 mmHg) was lower than that in 2017 (132.1±17.9 mmHg) (p < 0.01). Conclusions The positive association of change in urinary Na/K ratio with hypertension and change in systolic and diastolic BP can be explained by a change in alcohol intake, BMI, and urinary Na/K ratio. Key messages Measuring the urinary Na/K ratio in community settings is a potential population approach for counteracting hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess changes in the real‐world treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Japan. Methods: Patients from the JMDC Claims Database with ≥1 confirmed diagnosis of AD, an identifiable medical care start date for AD, and ≥2 AD–related treatments on separate dates between January 1, 2005, and May 31, 2019, were included; data were analyzed on a yearly basis. Results: In total, 411,102 patients were included. The average age of patients increased from 12.0 to 18.8 years between 2005 and 2017. In any given year, the prevalence of AD was highest in patients aged <2 years and lowest in patients aged ≥50 years. Dermatology (65.1%‐69.5% from 2005 to 2017) and clinics (92.3%‐93.4%) were the main department and medical facility, respectively, providing daily medical care for AD. The proportion of patients who were given the thymus and activation‐regulated chemokine test increased from 2008 to 2017 (0.03%‐3.5%). From 2005 to 2017, the proportion of patients who received moisturizer (68.8%‐79.1%), topical calcineurin inhibitors (8.2%‐17.8%), very strong topical corticosteroids (26.0%‐40.6%), strongest topical corticosteroids (3.5%‐7.8%), cyclosporine (0.01%‐0.3%), or phototherapy (0.06%‐1.8%) increased, and the proportion of patients who received topical non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (12.0%‐3.1%) decreased. Annual costs for medication associated with AD per person/visit increased between 2005 and 2017; however, the ratio of medication to total cost did not. Conclusions: The results of this analysis show that Japanese patients used increasingly potent treatments for AD, and overall AD‐related medication costs increased between 2005 and 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]