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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 120 days 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our study was to determine whether pre-emptive statin therapy was associated with improved outcome of infective endocarditis (IE). We conducted a nationwide, population-based, propensity score-matched cohort study with the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. All patients with IE between January 2000 and December 2010 were enrolled. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome included all-cause mortality within the first 3 months, 6 months, and one year after the diagnosis of IE. Among 13,584 patients with IE, we applied propensity score-matching on a 1:4 ratio, in which 370 statin users were matched to 1,480 statin non-users. Compared with statin non-users, statin users had a significantly lower risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.86). The reduction in mortality from IE remained significant for follow-up 3 months (aHR 0.68, 95% CI, 0.53e0.88), 6 months (aHR 0.73, 95% CI, 0.58e0.91), and 12 months (aHR 0.68, 95% CI, 0.55e0.84). Statin therapy was associated with a reduced risk of ICU admission rates, shock events, the need for mechanical ventilation, but not significantly with the need for heart valvular replacement surgery. In conclusion, our study found that statin therapy is associated with a reduced risk of in-hospital and subsequent mortality of IE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most common retinal vascular disease, with peak incidence at 70 years 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 70 years of age and older retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2010. Risks of comorbidities were assessed 5 years 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]