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Summary: The epidemiological data on osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) in Asia is limited. This study, representing the first comprehensive epidemiological investigation on OI in Taiwan, reveals high medical resource utilization and underscores the importance of early diagnosis to enhance care quality. Introduction: This study examines osteogenesis imperfecta, a hereditary connective tissue disorder causing pediatric fractures and limb deformities, using a nationwide database from Taiwan to analyze clinical features and medical burden. Methods: The study identified validated OI patients from the Catastrophic Illness Registry in the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2008 to 2019. Demographic data and medical resource utilization were analyzed. A multivariate Cox model assessed the influence of sex, validation age, and comorbidities. Results: 319 OI patients (M/F = 153/166) were identified, with 58% validated before age 20. Prevalence and incidence were 0.8–1.3/100,000 and 0.02–0.09/100,000, respectively, with higher rates in the pediatric demographic. In the study period, 69.6% of the patients had admission history, primarily to pediatric and orthopedic wards. The median admission number was 3, with a median length of stay of 12 days and a median inpatient cost of approximately 3,163 USD during the period. Lower limb fractures were the main reason for hospitalization. 57% of OI patients received bisphosphonate treatment. The leading causes of mortality were OI-related deaths, neurovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease. The median age of validation in the non-survival group was significantly higher compared to the survival group (33 vs. 14 years), and patients validated during childhood required more inpatient fracture surgeries than those validated during adulthood. Conclusion: This study provides comprehensive real-world evidence on the clinical characteristics and high medical resource utilization of OI patients in a low prevalence region like Taiwan. Early diagnosis is crucial for improving care quality and enhancing health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable chronic condition characterized by progressive, partially reversible airflow obstruction. Osteoporosis represents a significant comorbidity in individuals with COPD. However, the incidence and prevalence of osteoporosis among the COPD population remain unclear in Taiwan. Therefore, our objective is to investigate the incidence and prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with COPD. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled a COPD population retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) spanning the years 2003 to 2016. Osteoporosis patients were identified using diagnosis codes. The study included newly diagnosed COPD patients from 2003 to 2016. The case group comprised patients who developed osteoporosis or osteoporotic fractures after their COPD diagnosis. We calculated the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis in individuals with COPD and conducted trend tests. Results: A total of 1,297,579 COPD patients were identified during the period from 2003 to 2016, with 275,233 of them in the osteoporosis group. The average prevalence of osteoporosis among individuals with COPD was 21.21% from 2003 to 2016 in Taiwan. The number of osteoporosis cases increased from 6,727 in 2003 to 24,184 in 2016. The prevalence of osteoporosis among COPD patients increased from 3.62% in 2003 to 18.72% in 2016. The number of osteoporosis cases among individuals with COPD continued to rise over the years, reaching its highest point in 2016 with 24,184 new cases. The incidence of osteoporosis fluctuated during the study period but generally remained around 3,000 cases per 100,000 person-years. Notably, there was a significant upward trend in incidence from 2003 to 2006, after which the trend stabilized and remained relatively constant. Conclusions: Our study highlights an increase in both the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis in individuals with COPD. Given the significant medical, economic, and social implications associated with osteoporosis, a comprehensive and robust assessment of its healthcare burden can offer valuable insights for healthcare system planning and policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver transplant recipients have an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for fractures after liver transplant in a Taiwanese population. We identified newly diagnosed liver transplant recipients from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan between 2003 and 2015. Risk factors of post-transplant fractures were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 4821 patients underwent liver transplantation, of whom 419 (8.7%) had post-transplant fractures. Independent predictors of post-transplant fractures were age ≥65 years at transplantation (hazard ratio (HR): 1.566; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.122–2.186), female sex (HR: 1.648; 95% CI 1.319–2.057), fractures within 1 year prior to transplant (HR: 3.664; 95% CI 2.503–5.364), hepatitis C carriers (HR: 1.594; 95% CI 1.289–1.970), alcoholism (HR: 1.557; 95% CI 1.087–2.230) and daily prednisolone dose >1.61–3.78 mg/day (HR: 1.354; 95% CI 1.005–1.824), >3.78–9.18 mg (HR: 4.182; 95% CI 3.155–5.544) and >9.18 mg (HR: 13.334; 95% CI 9.506–18.703). Post-transplant fractures were inversely correlated with tacrolimus (HR: 0.617; 95% CI 0.417–0.913) and sirolimus/everolimus (HR: 0.504; 95% CI 0.391–0.650) treatment. The liver transplant recipients, and especially those who were aged ≥65 years, female, hepatitis C carriers, had a history of fractures within 1 year prior to transplant, alcoholism, and higher daily prednisolone dose were associated with an increased risk of post-transplant fractures. Conversely, the use of tacrolimus and sirolimus/everolimus was associated with a decreased risk of fractures. This study identified risk factors for fractures after liver transplant in a population-based study in an area with high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Recipients who were aged ≥65 years, female, hepatitis C carriers, had a history of fractures within 1 year prior to transplant, alcoholism, and higher daily prednisolone dose were independent risk factors for post-transplant fractures. Our findings highlight the importance of identifying individuals at high risk of fractures and concomitant tacrolimus and sirolimus/everolimus treatment to avoid the use of high-dose steroids and prevent post-transplant fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-world cost and effectiveness analyses of the anti-osteoporosis medications (AOM) using a nationwide database in Asia were limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of AOMs therapy under the reimbursement of National Health Insurance in Taiwan. Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, patients who had hospitalization due to incident hip fractures with related operation between 2008 and 2017 were identified as our study population. Patients who initiated AOMs within 1 year post incident hip fracture were matched with those did not according to the propensity score. The direct medical cost and subsequent fracture within three years were estimated. Statistically significant differences of risk for subsequent fracture between the AOM and non-AOM groups were estimated using the COX proportional hazards model. All costs were presented as New Taiwan Dollars (NTD). There were 27,357 new hip fracture patients who initiated AOMs, and 76% of them were women with a mean age of 77.7 years. Among patients ages ≥70 who encountered hip fractures, those who initiated AOMs experienced fewer non-vertebral fractures (HR = 1.07 (1.02–1.13), p = 0.0114 for those ages 70–79 years old; HR = 1.11 (1.06–1.17), p < 0.0001 for those ages ≥80 years) and mortality (HR = 1.18 (1.14–1.22), p < 0.0001 for those ages 70–79; HR = 1.20 (1.16–1.23), p < 0.0001) within 3 years post incident fracture; meanwhile, consuming fewer medical resources in the national insurance healthcare system. (Increment cost = −16011.2 NTD, p = 0.0248 for those ages 70–79; Increment cost = −17257.9 NTD, p = 0.0032 for those ages ≥80 years) Overall, under Taiwan's national health insurance, the use of AOMs is cost-saving, especially in the population aged ≥70 years. The finding of this research was valuable for policymakers in considering healthcare policy promotion and resource allocation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis increases the fracture and mortality risk of patients and has a higher disease burden than some cancers. Therefore, global concerns regarding the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis have been raised. However, fast-aging Taiwan lacks national epidemiological data on osteoporosis in recent years. We aimed to establish and update epidemiological data on osteoporosis by analyzing national data from 2008 to 2019. We estimated the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis in patients aged ≥50 years based on claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance database from 2008 to 2019. We also analyzed the key parameters of fracture care (anti-osteoporosis medication use, bone mineral density examination rate, and length of hospital stay) to understand the secular trend of management and related clinical outcomes (imminent refracture rate and mortality). The number of prevalent osteoporosis increased from 2008 to 2015 and remained constant until 2019; however, the age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates declined from 2008 to 2019 (3.77%–2.91% and 2.08%–1.02%, respectively). The overall incidence rates of hip and spine fractures decreased significantly by 34% and 27%, respectively. For patients with hip and spine fractures, the immanent refracture rates were 8.5% and 12.9% and the 1-year mortality rate remained stable at approximately 15% and 6%, respectively. The age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates decreased remarkably from 2008 to 2019, while the number of prevalent osteoporosis remained steady. Patients with hip fractures encountered a high 1-year mortality rate, while the risk of imminent refracture was notable for patients with spine fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of fractures is higher in patients with autoimmune diseases, but it is not clear whether the use of immunosuppressive agents can further increase this risk. To investigate this issue, a retrospective study was conducted using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients diagnosed with autoimmune diseases between 2000 and 2014, including psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus, were included in the study. A control group of patients without autoimmune diseases was selected from the same database during the same period. Patients with autoimmune diseases were divided into two sub-cohorts based on their use of immunosuppressive agents. This study found the risk of fractures was 1.14 times higher in patients with autoimmune diseases than in those without. Moreover, we found that patients in the immunosuppressant sub-cohort had a higher risk of fractures compared to those in the non-immunosuppressant sub-cohort. The adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio for shoulder fractures was 1.27 (95% CI = 1.01–1.58), for spine fractures was 1.43 (95% CI = 1.26–1.62), for wrist fractures was 0.95 (95% CI = 0.75–1.22), and for hip fractures was 1.67 (95% CI = 1.38–2.03). In conclusion, the long-term use of immunosuppressive agents in patients with autoimmune diseases may increase the risk of fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoporosis and fractures increase morbidity and mortality rates after solid organ transplantation (SOT), but few studies have analyzed the risk of osteoporosis and related fractures after SOT. In this retrospective cohort study, we investigated the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in different SOT recipients. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study using a nationally representative database in Taiwan. We collected the data of SOT recipients and used the propensity score matching method to obtain a comparison cohort. To reduce bias, we excluded patients who had been diagnosed with osteoporosis or fracture before inclusion. All participants were followed up until the date of diagnosis as having a pathological fracture, death, or the end of 2018, whichever occurred first. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the risk of osteoporosis and pathological fracture in SOT recipients. Results: After adjustment for the aforementioned variables, SOT recipients were observed to have a higher risk of osteoporosis (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-1.65) and fracture (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01-1.39) than the general individuals. Among the different SOT recipients, the highest risk of fractures was noted in heart or lung transplant recipients, with a HR of 4.62 (95% CI: 2.05-10.44). Among the age groups, patients aged >61 years had the highest HRs for osteoporosis (HR: 11.51; 95% CI, 9.10-14.56) and fracture (HR: 11.75, 95% CI: 8.97-15.40). Conclusion: SOT recipients had a higher risk of osteoporosis and related fractures than the general population, with the highest risks observed in patients receiving heart or lung transplants, older patients, and patients with CCI scores of >3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthroplasty for the hip/knee and surgeries for hip fractures are increasing worldwide. The aims of this study were to investigate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after surgery with an early mobility education program, and to explore their associations with pain and anxiety. Pain intensity and anxiety were assessed with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and HRQOL was assessed with the Short Form-36 (SF-36). The physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) and eight subscales of the SF-36 were calculated. At pre-operation, the patients suffered from moderate pain and mild anxiety, and their HRQOL scores were low (4.9, 7.8, 35.4, and 48.2 for the VAS, BAI, PCS, and MCS, respectively). The pain, anxiety, and HRQOL improved after surgery and had moderate to large effect sizes at 6-month follow-up (Glass's delta = 1.23, 0.88, 0.81, and 0.67 for VAS, BAI, PCS, and MCS, respectively). Pain and anxiety were strongly correlated to HRQOL at each stage, with the maximum correlation (r = −0.34 to −0.93) reached at 6-month follow-up. The surgery effectively improves HRQOL, as the reduced pain and anxiety lead to better physical and mental HRQOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This population-based longitudinal follow-up study showed a protective effect of tea consumption against osteoporosis, particularly among women and middle-aged people. High tea consumption was also associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture. Introduction: To investigate the association of tea consumption with the risks of osteoporosis and hip fracture. Methods: This study used the Keelung Community-based Integrated Screening database and Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 42,742 subjects aged 45 to 74 years were enrolled. Each was classified as no tea consumption, low tea consumption, and high tea consumption, according to the results of an eating habits questionnaire. The diagnosis of osteoporosis and hip fracture was based on BMD measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the X-ray findings. The median follow-up time was 8.5 years. Results: As compared with the no tea consumption group, the osteoporosis HRs for the low tea consumption and high tea consumption groups were 0.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–0.96) and 0.87 (95% CI 0.80–0.94), respectively. Among those participants aged 59 or below, the osteoporosis HRs for low tea consumption and high tea consumption (vs. no tea consumption) were 0.85 (95% CI 0.74–0.96) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.69–0.90). The HRs of hip fracture for the low tea consumption and high tea consumption groups (vs. no tea consumption) were 0.85 (95% CI 0.67–1.08) and 0.69 (95% CI 0.55–0.86), respectively. Conclusion: Tea consumption was linked to a lower risk of osteoporosis, particularly among women and middle-aged people. High tea consumption was also associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Bone loss and fractures are common and serious complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and identifying risk predictors for fractures in transplant recipients remains challenging. The Taiwan Bone Marrow Donation Center is the largest databank of donors in Asia. However, no population-based studies have yet been conducted in Asia to accurately assess the risk of fractures., Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the incidence and risk factors for fractures in HSCT recipients., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients older than 18 years who received a HSCT from January 1, 2003 to September 30, 2015, using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Fractures following HSCT were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for fractures., Results: A total of 3327 patients underwent a HSCT, of whom 126 (3.8%) had a fracture after HSCT. The cumulative incidence of fractures was 5.3% at 5 years, and 10.8% at 10 years. Multivariable analysis showed that a fracture in the 3 years prior to transplant (HR = 3.79; 95% CI, 2.39-6.03) was associated with a higher risk of fractures post HSCT. With a daily dose equivalent of more than 0.50-3.75 mg, more than 3.75-15.23 mg, and more than 15.23 mg prednisolone, the risk of fractures increased by 1.70-fold (95% CI, 1.07-2.71), 2.23-fold (95% CI 1.32-3.76), and 2.93-fold (95% CI, 1.43-6.01), respectively., Conclusion: Regular screening to monitor bone loss should be initiated early, and counseling about the importance of general preventive measures for bone loss is warranted in HSCT recipients with a prior fracture and mean daily dose of steroids more than 0.50 mg., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Osteoporosis is a chronic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and increased risk of fracture. In Taiwan, Guilu Erxian Jiao (GEJ) is the commonly used formula of Chinese herbal medicines for patients with osteoporosis. However, the effect of GEJ on subsequent fractures in the long term is unclear. This is the first long-term case-control study of the effects of GEJ on the rates of fracture in patients with osteoporosis., Methods: We collected data from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019 from the Chang Gung Research Database. We interpreted from the reports of DXA to confirm whether the patients met the criteria for osteoporosis (T score ≤ -2.5). Eighty-five patients were enrolled in the GEJ group. After two propensity score matchings, 425 patients were identified as the non-GEJ group. We assessed four outcomes to confirm the effects of GEJ in patients with osteoporosis, including the change in the T-score, new occurrences of fractures, cumulative rate of fracture, and how many doses of GEJ need to be administered to effectively reduce fractures RESULTS: There was no significant difference in either the improvement in the T score or the 5-year overall fracture (p = 0.335) between these two groups. At the fracture-prone sites, the fracture in lumbar vertebrae was less in the GEJ group (p = 0.034). A total of 600 GEJ pills are required to effectively reduce the incidence of fractures (p value= 0.0039)., Conclusions: Patients who take at least 600 GEJ pills would have a decreased fracture risk at fracture-prone sites., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between acupuncture therapy and the risk of fracture in patient with osteoarthritis (OA). Design: The authors performed a 1:1 propensity score-matched cohort study to analyze patient with OA between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2010 through the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients who received acupuncture therapy from the initial date of diagnosis of OA to December 31, 2010 were included in the acupuncture cohort. Patients who did not receive acupuncture during the same follow-up period were defined as the no-acupuncture cohort. A Cox regression model was used to adjust for sex, age, comorbidities, prescription, and surgical experiences. Hazard ratios (HRs) were compared between the two cohorts. Results: A total of 3416 patients were identified after 1:1 propensity score matching. The patients had similar basic characteristics. In the final analysis, 292 patients in the acupuncture cohort (30.06 per 1000 person-years) and 431 patients in the no-acupuncture cohort (56.08 per 1000 person-years) developed fractures (adjusted HRs 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.67). A reduced cumulative incidence of fracture was found in the acupuncture cohort (log-rank test, p < 0.001). The association between acupuncture and reducing the fracture incidence was independent of sex, comorbidities, drugs use, and surgical experiences. Conclusion: Their results revealed the association between acupuncture therapies and a reduced incidence of fracture development in patients with OA. This finding provides noteworthy ideas for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder associated with poor health outcomes in older adults. However, its association with the risk of fracture risk is yet to be clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the incidence and consequence of osteoporosis-related fractures among patients with sarcopenia in Taiwan. A retrospective, population-based study on 616 patients with sarcopenia, aged >40 years, and 1232 individuals without sarcopenia was conducted to evaluate claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database collected in the period January 2000–December 2013. The incidence rate of osteoporosis-related fracture was 18.13 and 14.61 per 1000 person years in the patients with sarcopenia and comparison cohort, respectively. Patients with sarcopenia had a greater osteoporotic fracture risk (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47–3.04) after correcting for possible confounding. Additionally, females showed statistically significant correlations of sarcopenia with osteoporosis-related fracture risk (HR 1.53; CI 0.83–2.8 for males and HR 2.40, CI 1.51–3.81 for females). During this retrospective study on the fracture risk in Taiwan, an adverse impact of sarcopenia was observed, which substantiates the need to work toward sarcopenia prevention and interventions to reverse fracture susceptibility in patients with sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence suggests that patients with fragility fractures would benefit from post-acute care (PAC); however, they have been subjected to varying PAC programs. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of home-based PAC (HPAC) to inpatient PAC (IPAC) programs for patients with fragility fractures in Taiwan. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study that reviewed the medical records of patients who received HPAC or IPAC within three weeks after hip, knee, or spine fragility fractures in the Taipei City Hospital from September 1, 2017, to August 31, 2018. Results: The mean age (78.9 ± 10.8 years) showed significant difference between the HPAC (age = 80.6 ± 11.1, n = 83) and the IPAC (age = 78.2 ± 10.6, n = 185) groups (P =.049). After PAC, both HPAC and IPAC groups showed improvement on Barthel index, numerical pain rating scale, and Harris hip score (all P <.001). Patients in the HPAC group displayed greater improvement than the IPAC group on Barthel Index for activities of daily living (ADLs) by 5.8 (95% confidence interval, 3.0 to 8.5). The IPAC group had a significant longer length of PAC than the HPAC group (12.4 ± 3.0 vs. 11.1 ± 2.7, P <.001). Conclusion: Both PAC programs could significantly improve functional performance and reduce pain in patients with fragility fractures. Patients treated in the HPAC group had better ADLs, and less length of PAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence suggests that patients with fragility fractures would benefit from post-acute care (PAC); however, they have been subjected to varying PAC programs. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of home-based PAC (HPAC) to inpatient PAC (IPAC) programs for patients with fragility fractures in Taiwan. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study that reviewed the medical records of patients who received HPAC or IPAC within three weeks after hip, knee, or spine fragility fractures in the Taipei City Hospital from September 1, 2017, to August 31, 2018. Results: The mean age (78.9 ± 10.8 years) showed significant difference between the HPAC (age = 80.6 ± 11.1, n = 83) and the IPAC (age = 78.2 ± 10.6, n = 185) groups (P = .049). After PAC, both HPAC and IPAC groups showed improvement on Barthel index, numerical pain rating scale, and Harris hip score (all P < .001). Patients in the HPAC group displayed greater improvement than the IPAC group on Barthel Index for activities of daily living (ADLs) by 5.8 (95% confidence interval, 3.0 to 8.5). The IPAC group had a significant longer length of PAC than the HPAC group (12.4 ± 3.0 vs. 11.1 ± 2.7, P < .001). Conclusion: Both PAC programs could significantly improve functional performance and reduce pain in patients with fragility fractures. Patients treated in the HPAC group had better ADLs, and less length of PAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal disorder influenced by age, hormonal changes, medication use, nutrition, and genetics. The relationship between MTHFR and osteoporosis remains unclear, especially in Asians. The aim of our study was to elucidate the impact of MTHFR on osteoporosis and fracture risk. Materials and Methods: Participants were recruited from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative at Taichung Veterans General Hospital. A total of 3,503 subjects with available bone mineral density measurements were selected. Using the Axiom Genome-Wide TWB 2.0 Array, we identified the MTHFR rs1801133 variant. Among these subjects, 1,624 patients carrying the variant were included in the case group, while the remaining 1,879 patients without the variant served as the control group. Results: Overall, individuals carrying the MTHFR rs1801133 variant exhibited a significantly elevated risk of developing osteoporosis. Stratified analysis by different genotypes, the results revealed a statistically significant association between the heterozygous genotype of MTHFR rs1801133 and osteoporosis. However, there was no significant correlation between MTHFR genotypes and fracture risk. Furthermore, subgroup analysis of female patients revealed age, a known risk factor, was associated with both osteoporosis and fractures. Interestingly, the presence of the MTHFR rs1801133 variant did not confer an increased risk of osteoporosis or fractures in females. Conclusion: Our study revealed a notable increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis among individuals carrying the MTHFR rs1801133 variant. Nevertheless, these individuals did not exhibit a heightened risk of major or hip fractures compared to non-carriers. Our findings could be of value in raising awareness of the increased risk of osteoporosis among individuals with this genetic variant., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Background: Previous studies have seldom focused on injury patterns, especially musculoskeletal injuries, caused by building collapse during earthquakes. The aim of this study was to investigate the musculoskeletal injury profiles and management of patients rescued from collapsed buildings in the 2016 Taiwan earthquake.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using the electronic medical record (EMR) system. We enrolled 31 patients rescued from specific collapsed buildings (the WJ group) and 56 patients injured in the same earthquake as a control group. We investigated the admission history, injury profile, treatment, and outcomes for these patients.Results: The WJ group (51%) had significantly higher admission rates compared to the control group (25%) (p = 0.012). Although the odds ratio (OR) of fracture incidence was lower in the WJ group (OR: 0.79), there was a higher OR of multiple fractures (OR: 2.617) and axial skeletal fractures (OR: 2.893 for vertebral fracture, and OR: 1.893 ribs for rib fractures) in the WJ group. Among the 28 fracture patients, 9 (32.1%) underwent surgical interventions. A higher incidence of rhabdomyolysis was noted in the WJ group (OR: 34.73). Also, all 5 rhabdomyolysis cases combined with acute kidney injury were in the WJ group, and 1 of them required emergent hemodialysis for severe hyperkalemia.Conclusion: Patients extricated from collapsed buildings have a higher incidence of multiple fractures and axial skeletal fractures. More severe soft tissue injuries, including rhabdomyolysis and compartment syndrome, were also identified. The medical system should develop rescue and treatment strategies for this rare situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of bariatric surgery on non-traffic accident–related fractures in patients with obesity. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients aged 18 to 55 years with obesity diagnosis between 2003 and 2008 were enrolled and divided into two groups: non-surgical and bariatric surgery groups. Patients with endocrine bone disease and malignancy history were excluded. Healthy patients were also randomly selected from the database and assigned to the general population group. The development of fracture was the primary end point. All patients were followed until the end of 2013 or death, whichever came first. Results: After propensity score matching, 1322, 1322, and 4359 subjects were included in the bariatric surgery (BS), non-surgical (NS), and general population (GP) groups, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, the risk of overall fractures is similar between the BS group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.774, p = 0.164) and the NS group; nevertheless, the risk of overall fractures was higher in the BS group (HR = 2.210, p<0.001) than in the GP group. The BS group had a significantly lower risk of non-traffic accident–related fractures (HR = 0.542, p = 0.010) than the NS group but a higher risk of non-traffic accident–related fractures (HR = 1.693, p = 0.023) than the GP group. Conclusions: Bariatric surgery may decrease the risk of non-traffic accident–related fractures; however, the risk remains higher in patients with obesity than in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the risk of bone fracture in menopausal women in Taiwan.Study Design: The longitudinal, population-based, nested case-control study in Taiwan involved 5269 women aged > 45 years with fractures and 21,076 matched randomly selected controls without fractures. A conditional logistic regression model of analysis was employed.Main Outcome Measures: The association between the risk of bone fracture and various HRT-related parameters, including the timing, dosage, and adherence, was investigated.Results: Women with menopausal syndrome were protected from fractures when they received hormone drugs at high cumulative defined daily doses (DDDs) (Cumulative DDDs≥360) (odds ratio [OR]: 0.90, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.82-0.99) and when their adherence was high (over 0.5) (OR: 0.70, 95 % CI: 0.60-0.82). The risk of fracture also decreased with high cumulative DDDs and high adherence combined (OR: 0.71, 95 % CI: 058-0.86). Subgroup analyses suggested that estrogen-containing regimens showed a protective effect against fractures at high cumulative DDDs or when adherence was high. Similar results were also observed with progestogen-containing regimens. Past exposure to an estrogen-containing regimen showed a protective effect against fractures when adherence was high. Past exposure to a progestogen-containing regimen showed a protective effect against fractures at high cumulative DDDs and when adherence was high.Conclusions: The results indicate that past exposure to estrogen-containing or progestogen-containing regimens exerts protective effects against bone fracture. These effects increased with higher cumulative DDDs and with adherence in a dose-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Situational factors during a fall among three common types of fractures of the distal forearm, hip, and vertebrae among older women in Taiwan were investigated.Methods: In 2016 ~ 2017, study participants were identified from those aged ≥65 years who visited emergency departments due to a fall in two university-affiliated hospitals in Taipei. In addition to individual characteristics, situational factors during the fall (location, activity, change of center of mass, fall mode, fall direction, initiating a protective response, and being hit) were collected. A sample of 203 distal-forearm fractures, 189 vertebral fractures, and 375 hip fractures was recruited, while 717 women with a soft-tissue injury were used as a control group. The identification of situational risk factors for each type of fracture was validated by using those who sustained one of the other two types of fracture as a control group.Results: After adjusting for age and other individual characteristics, compared to soft-tissue injuries, distal-forearm fractures were significantly more likely to occur with slips (odds ratio [OR] = 11.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.76 ~ 25.4), trips (OR = 3.40; 95% CI = 1.42 ~ 8.17), step-downs (OR = 4.95; 95% CI = 2.15 ~ 11.4), and from sideways falls (OR = 1.73; 95% CI = 1.12 ~ 2.67) and significantly less likely to occur indoors (OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.42 ~ 0.90) or from backwards falls (OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.41 ~ 0.95). Hip fractures were significantly more likely to occur with step-downs (OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.13 ~ 2.75) and from backwards (OR = 3.16; 95% CI = 2.15 ~ 4.64) or sideways falls (OR = 5.56; 95% CI = 3.67 ~ 8.41) and significantly less likely when hitting an object (OR = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.13 ~ 0.52) or initiating a protective response (OR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.36 ~ 0.93). Vertebral fractures were significantly more likely to occur with slips (OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.30 ~ 4.50), step-downs (OR = 2.53; 95% CI = 1.43 ~ 4.48), and backwards falls (OR = 2.15; 95% CI = 1.39 ~ 3.32). Similar results were found in the validation analyses.Conclusions: Large variations in situational risk factors for the three types of fracture in older women existed. A combination of individual and situational risk factors may display a more-comprehensive risk profile for the three types of fracture, and an intervention that adds training programs on safe landing strategies and effective compensatory reactions may be valuable in preventing serious injuries due to a fall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Antidepressants increase the risk of falls and fracture in older adults. However, risk estimates vary considerably even in comparable populations, limiting the usefulness of current evidence for clinical decision making. Our aim was to apply a common protocol to cohorts of older antidepressant users in multiple jurisdictions to estimate fracture risk associated with different antidepressant classes, drugs, doses, and potential treatment indications. DESIGN: Retrospective (2009–2014) cohort study. SETTING: Five jurisdictions in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Older antidepressant users—subjects were followed from first antidepressant prescription or dispensation to first fracture or until the end of follow‐up. MEASUREMENTS: The risk of fractures with antidepressants was estimated by multivariable Cox proportional hazards models using time‐varying measures of antidepressant dose and use vs nonuse, adjusting for patient characteristics. RESULTS: Between 42.9% and 55.6% of study cohorts were 75 years and older, and 29.3% to 45.4% were men. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (48.4%‐60.0%) were the predominant class used in North America compared with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) in the United Kingdom and Taiwan (49.6%‐53.6%). Fracture rates varied from 37.67 to 107.18 per 1,000. The SSRIs citalopram (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11‐1.36 to HR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.11‐1.84) and sertraline (HR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.10‐1.68), the SNRI duloxetine (HR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.06‐1.88), TCAs doxepin (HR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.00‐1.86) and imipramine (HR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.05‐1.28), and atypicals (HR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.14‐1.58) increased fracture risk in some but not all jurisdictions. In the United States and the United Kingdom, fracture risk with all classes was higher when prescribed for depression than chronic pain, a trend that is likely explained by drug choice. CONCLUSION: The fracture risk for patients may be reduced by selecting paroxetine, an SSRI with lower risk than citalopram, the SNRI venlafaxine over duloxetine, and the TCA amitriptyline over imipramine or doxepin. There is uncertainty about the risk associated with the atypical antidepressants. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1494‐1503, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related osteoporosis is a major complication in patients with CKD, conferring a higher risk of adverse outcomes. We found that among those with diabetic kidney disease, this complication increased the risk of incident frailty, an important mediator of adverse outcomes. Introduction: Renal osteodystrophy and chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related osteoporosis increases complications for patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Since musculoskeletal degeneration is central to frailty development, we investigated the relationship between baseline osteoporosis and the subsequent frailty risk in patients with DKD. Methods: From the Longitudinal Cohort of Diabetes Patients in Taiwan (n = 840,000), we identified 12,027 patients having DKD with osteoporosis and 24,054 propensity score-matched controls having DKD but without osteoporosis. The primary endpoint was incident frailty on the basis of a modified FRAIL scale. Patients were prospectively followed-up until the development of endpoints or the end of this study. The Kaplan-Meier technique and Cox proportional hazard regression were used to analyze the association between osteoporosis at baseline and incident frailty in these patients. Results: The mean age of the DKD patients was 67.2 years, with 55.4% female and a 12.6% prevalence of osteoporosis at baseline. After 3.5 ± 2.2 years of follow up, the incidence rate of frailty in patients having DKD with osteoporosis was higher than that in DKD patients without (6.6 vs. 5.7 per 1000 patient-year, p = 0.04). A Cox proportional hazard regression showed that after accounting for age, gender, obesity, comorbidities, and medications, patients having DKD with osteoporosis had a significantly higher risk of developing frailty (hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.38) than those without osteoporosis. Conclusions: CKD-related osteoporosis is associated with a higher risk of incident frailty in patients with DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop an algorithm to identify high-risk populations of fragility fractures in Taiwan.Materials and Methods: A total of 16,539 postmenopausal women and men (age ≥ 50 years) were identified from the Taiwan Osteoporosis Survey database. Using the Taiwan FRAX® tool, the 10-year probability of major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) and hip fracture (HF) and the individual intervention threshold (IIT) of each participant were calculated. Subjects with either a probability above the IIT or those with MOF ≥ 20% or HF ≥ 9% were included as group A. Subjects with a bone mineral density (BMD) T-score at femoral neck based on healthy subjects of ≤ - 2.5 were included in group B. We tested several cutoff points for MOF and HF so that the number of patients in group A and group B were similar. A novel country-specific hybrid intervention threshold along with an algorithm was generated to identify high fracture risk individuals.Results: 3173 (19.2%) and 3129 (18.9%) participants were categorized to groups A and B, respectively. Participants in group B had a significantly lower BMD (p < 0.001), but clinical characteristics, especially the 10-year probability of MOF (p < 0.001) or HF (p < 0.001), were significantly worse in group A. We found the algorithm generated from the hybrid intervention threshold is practical.Conclusion: The strategy of generating an algorithm for fracture prevention by novel hybrid intervention threshold is more efficient as it identifies patients with a higher risk of fragility fracture and could be a template for other country-specific policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bipolar disorder is a chronic, episodic mental illness, affecting around 2.4% of the population worldwide. Psychological and/or physiological comorbidities are a common consequence, and osteoporosis is one such possible comorbidity. Thus, this systematic review aimed to collate, evaluate, and discuss the literature examining the link between bipolar disorder and bone health.Methods: We conducted an e-search of PubMed/OVID/MEDLINE, PsychINFO and CINAHL to identify studies that investigated associations between bipolar disorder and bone in adults aged ≥18. Two reviewers determined eligibility according to pre-determined criteria, and methodological quality was assessed using a previously published methodological scoring system. Due to heterogeneity, a best-evidence synthesis was performed.Results: Our search yielded 1409 articles, of which three (all cohorts) met predetermined criteria. The studies from Taiwan and the United States of America analysed administrative data, albeit spanning different years, and comprised a total of 344,497 participants. No studies investigating bone quantity or quality were identified. Bipolar disorder was associated with an increased risk of fracture (range 20-80%); and fracture-free survival time for those with bipolar disorder decreased substantially with advancing age, and for women (10-30% shorter than men). Fracture incidence per 1000 person years (py) was 21.4 and 10.8 in those with and without bipolar disorder, respectively.Limitations: Limited data and marked methodological heterogeneity prevented the pooling of these data for a numerical synthesis.Conclusions: Increased fracture risk was observed in individuals with bipolar disorder, independent of older age, sex, comorbidities and medication use. The operative mechanisms, risk and treatment factors warrant further enquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Osteoporosis is one of the consequences of aging, and it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated; this study aimed to present the characteristics and prevalence of osteoporosis in elderly men by conducting a nationwide survey in Taiwan. Methods: The participants were enrolled between 2008 and 2011, and bone mineral density (BMD) was measured via dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry for the hip (total), lumbar spine (L1‐4), and femoral neck (FN). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, female patients, and those using steroids were excluded. Osteoporosis was defined as a T‐score at the FN of ≤−2.5. Results: This study included 3734 men of mean age 70.0 ± 9.3 years, accounting for the prevalence of osteoporosis at 9.7%. Participants with osteoporosis had a significantly older age, lower body weight, shorter height and more previous fractures than those without osteoporosis. The mean BMD at FN was 0.534 ± 0.056 and 0.791 ± 0.115 (g/cm2) in participants with and without osteoporosis, respectively (P < 0.001). The FN and hip (total) BMD showed a significant negative correlation with age (r = −0.234, P < 0.001) and (r = −0.003, P < 0.001), respectively, but not at L1‐4 (r = 0.00, P = 0.540). A history of fracture is the most important risk factor associated with male osteoporosis (odds ratio, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.49‐4.21; P = 0.006). Conclusions: The associated factors for male osteoporosis are aging, lower body weight, and a history of fracture; the BMDs at FN and hip (total), but not L1‐4, are inversely correlated with age. We recommend that BMD at the proximal femur be the preferred site to evaluate osteoporosis for elderly male subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for over two thousand years to treat motor impairments corresponding to the clinical manifestations of Parkinson's disease (PD). Aim of the study This study aimed to investigate the prescription of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for the management of PD and further determine whether CHM can improve motor function and decrease the risk of incident fracture. Materials and methods Patients older than 40 years newly diagnosed with PD between January 1997 and December 2010 were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and followed up until the end of 2013. We used 1:1 frequency matching by age, sex, index year, and initial diagnostic year to compare the TCM users and non-TCM users. We used a Cox regression model and the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate the risk of developing fracture among the TCM and non-TCM users. Results In total, 7197 patients older than 40 years were newly diagnosed with PD between 1997 and 2010 in Taiwan. Among these patients, 3456 were TCM users, and 3730 were non-TCM users. We compared 2007 PD patients with comparable demographic characteristics and comorbidity profiles between the two cohorts. During the follow-up period, compared with the non-TCM cohort, fewer patients in the TCM cohort had incident fractures (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.44–0.56). The cumulative incidence of fracture was lower in the TCM cohort (log-rank test, p < 0.0001). Shi-Chang-Pu ( Acorus gramineus Aiton), Yuan-Zhi ( Polygala tenuifolia Willd), Bei-Mu ( Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don), Hai-Piao-Xiao ( Sepiella maindronide Rochebrune; Sepia esculenta Hoyle), and Tian-Ma ( Gastrodia elata Blume) constituted the core Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions used to treat PD patients. Conclusions The present study identified the core prescription pattern for the management of PD in Taiwan. Complementary CHM therapy was associated with a reduced risk of fracture in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the actual relationship between antimuscarinics for overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome and the subsequent risk of a fracture remains unclear. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to demonstrate the association between antimuscarinics forOAB and fractures using a large populationbased data set. Data used in this study were taken from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005.We identified 2927 OAB patients who received antimuscarinics as the study cohort and 11 708 matched OAB patients who did not receive antimuscarinics as the comparison cohort. Each individual was tracked for a 3-year period to define those who received a diagnosis of a fracture. Stratified Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were conducted to estimate the association between antimuscarinics for OAB and a subsequent fracture. Results revealed that the incidence rate of fracture per 100 person-years within the 3-year follow-up period were 3.01 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.65-3.40) for OAB patients who received antimuscarinics and 2.77 (95%CI, 2.60-2.95) for those OAB patients who did not receive antimuscarinics. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for a subsequent fracture for OAB patients who received antimuscarinics was 1.11 (95%CI, 0.97-1.28) compared with those OAB patients who did not receive antimuscarinics.Consequently,we concluded that antimuscarinics for OAB was not significantly predictive of fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture liaison services (FLS), implemented in different ways and countries, are reported to be a cost-effective or even a cost-saving secondary fracture prevention strategy. This presumed favorable cost-benefit relationship is encouraging and lends support to expanded implementation of FLS per International Osteoporosis Foundation Best Practice Standards. This study summarizes the economic impact and cost-effectiveness of FLS implemented to reduce subsequent fractures in individuals with osteoporosis. This systematic review identified studies reporting economic outcomes for FLS in osteoporotic patients aged 50 and older through a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and PubMed of studies published January, 2000 to December, 2016. Grey literature (e.g., Google scholar, conference abstracts/posters) were also hand searched through February 2017. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts and conducted full-text review on qualified articles. All disagreements were resolved by discussion between reviewers to reach consensus or by a third reviewer. In total, 23 qualified studies that evaluated the economic aspects of FLS were included: 16 cost-effectiveness studies, 2 cost-benefit analyses, and 5 studies of cost savings. Patient populations varied (prior fragility fracture, non-vertebral fracture, hip fracture, wrist fracture), and FLS strategies ranged from mail-based interventions to comprehensive nurse/physician-coordinated programs. Cost-effectiveness studies were conducted in Canada, Australia, USA, UK, Japan, Taiwan, and Sweden. FLS was cost-effective in comparisons with usual care or no treatment, regardless of the program intensity or the country in which the FLS was implemented (cost/QALY from $3023-$28,800 US dollars (USD) in Japan to $14,513-$112,877 USD in USA. Several studies documented cost savings. FLS, implemented in different ways and countries, are reported to be cost-effective or even cost-saving. This presumed favorable cost-benefit relationship is encouraging and lends support to expanded implementation of FLS per International Osteoporosis Foundation Best Practice Standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Using national insurance claims data of Taiwan, we found that patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) had increased risk of fracture during the follow-up period of 2000-2013. History of PAD was also associated with adverse outcomes in hospitalized fracture patients. Prevention strategies were needed in this susceptible population. Introduction: Limited information was available on the association between PAD and fracture. The purpose of this study is to evaluate fracture risk and post-fracture outcomes in patients with PAD. Methods: We identified 6647 adults aged ≥ 20 years with newly diagnosed PAD using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database in 2000-2004. Comparison cohort consisted of 26,588 adults without PAD randomly selected with frequency matching in age and sex. Events of fracture were identified during the follow-up period from January 1, 2000 until December 31, 2013, to evaluate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of fracture associated with PAD. Another nested cohort study of 799,463 hospitalized fracture patients analyzed adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of adverse events after fracture among patients with and without PAD in 2004-2013. Results: Incidences of fracture in people with and without PAD were 22.1 and 15.5 per 1000 person-years, respectively ( P < .0001). Compared with control, the adjusted HR of fracture was 1.59 (95% CI, 1.48-1.69) for PAD patients. In the nested cohort study, patients with PAD had higher post-fracture mortality (OR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.09-1.25) and various complications. PAD patients also had comparatively higher medical expenditure (2691 vs. 2232 USD, P < .0001) and longer hospital stay (10.6 vs. 9.0 days, P < 0.0001) during fracture admission. Conclusions: Increased risk of fracture and post-fracture adverse outcomes were associated with PAD. This susceptible population needs care to prevent fracture and to minimize adverse outcomes after it occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The co-primary aims are: 1) to compare the risk of fracture between adults with bipolar disorder and those without bipolar disorder; and 2) to assess whether lithium, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics reduce risk of fracture among individuals with bipolar disorder.Methods: The analysis herein is a population-based retrospective cohort study, utilizing the National Health Insurance (NHI) medical claims data collected between 1997 and 2013 in Taiwan. We identified 3705 cases with incident diagnoses of bipolar disorder during study period and 37,050 matched controls without bipolar diagnoses. Incident diagnosis of fracture was operationalized as any bone fracture after the diagnosis of bipolar disorder or after the matched index date for controls.Results: Bipolar patients had significantly higher risk of facture when compared to matched controls (17.6% versus 11.7%, respectively p<0.001). The hazard ratio (HR) was 1.33 (95% confidence interval [CI]＝1.23-1.48, p<0.001) after adjusting for covariates. Persons with bipolar disorder and a prior history of psychiatric hospitalization were had higher risk for bone fracture than those without prior history of psychiatric hospitalization when compared to match controls. Higher cumulative dose of antipsychotics or mood stabilizers did not increase the risk of fracture.Limitations: The diagnoses of bipolar disorder were not confirmed with structured clinical interview. Drug adherence, exact exposure dosage, smoking, lifestyle, nutrition and exercise habits were unable to be assessed in our dataset.Conclusions: Bipolar disorder is associated with increased risk of fracture, and higher cumulative dose of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics did not further increase the risk of fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Hypoglycemia is a major concern in glycemic control. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we found that the risk of hip fracture was associated with emergency or hospitalization visits of severe hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes; greater visits were associated with higher incidence of hip fracture. Introduction: The objective of the study was to assess the risk of hip fracture among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and severe hypoglycemia. Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Research database in Taiwan, we identified 2588 patients with T2DM who had developed severe hypoglycemia from 2001 to 2009. A comparison cohort who had never developed severe hypoglycemia was frequency matched at a ratio of approximately 1:2. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of hip fracture. Results: During a median follow-up period of 3.9 years, there were 219 hip fracture events in 5173 comparison cohorts and 148 hip fracture events in 2588 hypoglycemia cohorts. The incidence of hip fracture was higher in patients with severe hypoglycemia than without severe hypoglycemia (17.19 vs. 8.83 per 1000 person-years; adjusted HR 1.71, 95% CI = 1.35-2.16). Approximately half of the individuals developed hip fracture within 2 years from the first occurrence of severe hypoglycemia. There was a significant associated trend towards increased hip fracture risk with increasing average visit of severe hypoglycemia per year ( p for trend <0.001). Medication analysis showed that patients taking sulfonylurea alone, insulin alone, and insulin secretagogues combined with insulin had a higher associated risk to develop hip fracture. Conclusions: Severe hypoglycemia was associated with a higher risk to develop hip fracture. The more the visits of severe hypoglycemia per year indicated the higher associated risk in patients with T2DM. Fall is likely an important reason for severe hypoglycemia in relation to increased risk of hip fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disease, and disrupted bone metabolism due to the inflammatory process can cause fracture. Despite evidence of an association between lower bone mineral density and an increased risk of fracture among patients with depression, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa, whether BD is a risk factor for subsequent fracture is unknown. To determine the association between BD and fracture and to examine the risk factors for fracture among patients with BD.Methods: In this study, we enrolled patients diagnosed with BD from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients newly diagnosed with BD (ICD-9-CM 296) from 2001 to 2008 were included in the BD cohort, and the date of the initial diagnosis of BD was used as the index date. The comparison cohort, comprising participants without BD, was frequency matched to the BD cohort by age, sex, and index year, and the occurrence of fracture was evaluated in both cohorts.Results: The BD and comparison cohorts were comprised of 47,271 patients with BD and 1,89,084 frequency-matched participants without BD, respectively. The incidence of fracture was higher among patients with BD than among the controls. Cox models showed that BD was an independent risk factor for fracture irrespective of comorbidities [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.79, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.73-1.84, p < .001].Conclusion: Our study showed that patients with BD have a higher risk of subsequent fracture. Additional prospective clinical studies investigating the relationship between BD and fracture are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adverse impact of obesity has been extensively studied in the general population; however, the added risk of obesity on trauma-related mortality remains controversial. This study investigated and compared mortality as well injury patterns and length of stay (LOS) in obese and normal-weight patients hospitalized for trauma in the hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) of a Level I trauma center in southern Taiwan.Methods: Detailed data of 880 obese adult patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m(2) and 5391 normal-weight adult patients (25 > BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m(2)) who had sustained a trauma injury between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 were retrieved from the Trauma Registry System. Pearson's chi-squared, Fisher's exact, and independent Student's t-tests were used to compare differences between groups. Propensity score matching with logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of obesity on mortality.Results: In this study, obese patients were more often men, motorcycle riders and pedestrians, and had a lower proportion of alcohol intoxication compared to normal-weight patients. Analysis of Abbreviated Injury Scale scores revealed that obese trauma patients presented with a higher rate of injury to the thorax, but a lower rate of facial injuries than normal-weight patients. No significant differences were found between obese and normal-weight patients regarding Injury Severity Score (ISS), Trauma-Injury Severity Score (TRISS), mortality, the proportion of patients admitted to the ICU, or LOS in ICU. After propensity score matching, logistic regression of 66 well-matched pairs did not show a significant influence of obesity on mortality (odds ratio: 1.51, 95% confidence interval: 0.54-4.23 p = 0.438). However, significantly longer hospital LOS (10.6 vs. 9.5 days, respectively, p = 0.044) was observed in obese patients than in normal-weight patients, particularly obese patients with pelvic, tibial, or fibular fractures.Conclusion: Compared to normal-weight patients, obese patients presented with different injury characteristics and bodily injury patterns but no difference in mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in the treatment of fracture for thousands of years. However, large-scale surveys examing the utilization of Chinese herbal products (CHPs) for treating fractures and their related symptoms are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns of CHPs among patients with fractures in Taiwan. Materials and methods The TCM usage in patients with fractures was analyzed using a sample of one million individuals randomly selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database who were newly diagnosis with fractures in 2001-2008, with a followed-up period through 2010. Results We identified 115,327 patients who were newly diagnosed with fractures in the study population. Among them, 4.97% ( n =5731) adjunctively utilized TCM for fracture treatment. TCM users were mostly young or middle-aged, female, and resided in highly urbanized areas. With regard to the comorbidities of fractures, TCM users had a lower prevalence of coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and stroke than non-TCM users, except for osteoporosis. Shu-jing-huo-xue-tang was the most frequently prescribed Chinese herbal formula, while Rhizoma Drynariae (Gu-sui-bu) was the most common single herb for patients with fractures. The CHPs were found to cover not only bone healing but also fracture-related symptoms. TCM users had lower medical expenditure for hospitalization for the first six months after incident fractures than non-TCM users (1749±2650 versus 2274±3159 US dollars, p <0.0001). Conclusions Our study identified the TCM utilization for patients with fractures in Taiwan. Integration of TCM treatment reduced the medical costs for hospitalization. Further basic research and clinical studies to investigate the mechanism and clinical efficacies of CHPs are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Few studies have investigated the relationship between injury location, mechanism and their association with complex regional pain syndrome ( CRPS). We conducted a nationwide database survey to explore this issue. Methods This was a population-based case-control study. Five hundred and eighty-nine patients with at least one ambulatory visit or admission with a principal diagnosis of CRPS from 2004 to 2009 were selected. For each CRPS patient, ten age- and sex-matched non- CRPS subjects were randomly selected. The odds ratios ( PLoS One. 2013;8:e57205) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of risk factors for CRPS were derived from multivariate logistic regression models. Results Injury was a risk factor for CRPS ( OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 2.18 to 4.02) independent of age and sex. In adjusted models, open wound on the upper limbs ( OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.54) conferred higher CRPS risk. Injury mechanisms including nerve and spinal cord injury ( OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.44 to 4.08), muscle and joint sprain and strain ( OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.03), superficial injury ( OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.51), and contusion ( OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.74), but not fracture, increased the risk of CRPS. Conclusion Injury in the extremities rather than the trunk is an important risk factor for CRPS. Certain injury mechanisms confer higher risk of CRPS. This nationwide study demonstrated that injury increased CRPS nearly threefold. Open wound, sprain and strain, superficial injury, contusion, and nerve and spinal cord injury are main injury mechanisms. Injury in the extremities confers a higher risk of CRPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The association between Parkinson's disease and fracture was not completely understood. This nationwide study investigated increased risk of fracture in patients with Parkinson's disease. In the nested cohort study, Parkinson's disease was associated with pneumonia, septicemia, stroke, urinary tract infection, and mortality after fracture admission. Introduction: Falls are a common complication in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study evaluated fracture risk and post-fracture outcomes in patients with PD. Methods: We identified 1,423 adults aged 40 years and older newly diagnosed with PD using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2003. Comparison cohort consisted of 5,692 adults without PD randomly selected from the same dataset, frequency matched in age and sex. Followed-up events of fracture from January 1, 2000, until December 31, 2008, were ascertained from medical claims. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) of fracture associated with PD were evaluated. Another nested cohort study of 397,766 hospitalized fracture patients analyzed for adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % CIs of adverse events after fracture among patients with and without PD between 2004 and 2010. Results: The incidences of fracture for people with and without PD were 39.5 and 23.9 per 1,000 person-years, respectively ( p < 0.0001). Compared with control, the adjusted HR of fracture was 2.25 (95 % CI 1.97-2.58) for PD patients. Previous PD was associated with risks of pneumonia (OR 1.44, 95 % CI 1.36-1.52), septicemia (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.33-1.49), stroke (OR 1.40, 95 % CI 1.32-1.50), urinary tract infection (OR 1.53, 95 % CI 1.46-1.61), and mortality (OR 1.25, 95 % CI 1.15-1.35) after fracture. Conclusions: PD was associated with higher risk of fracture. Patients with PD had more complications and mortality after fracture. Fracture prevention and attention to post-fracture adverse events are needed for this susceptible population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Urinary calculi were associated with higher risk of vertebral and upper limb fracture. Therefore, patients with urinary calculi should be evaluated carefully because they may have a higher risk of subsequent fracture later in life. Introduction: The contribution of urinary calculi to reduced bone mineral density has been recognized. However, the association of urinary calculi with the risk of fracture remains inconclusive. The aim of the study was to determine the risk of overall fracture and fractures at different anatomic sites in patients with urinary calculi. Methods: The records of inpatients and outpatients with urinary calculi were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database from 2000 to 2010. Among patients with urinary calculi at the cohort entry, controls were matched using propensity scores on a 1:1 ratio. All subjects were followed up from the date of enrollment until fracture occurrence, death, or December 31, 2010. There were 46,243 Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of urinary calculi and 46,243 controls without calculi enrolled. Results: Among these patients, 6005 patients with a diagnosis of urinary calculi and 5339 controls developed fractures during a median follow-up period of 5.3 years. Patients with urinary calculi had a higher incidence of fracture compared with controls (23.9 versus 22.1 per 1000 person-years) and a greater risk of overall fractures (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.08, 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.12), mainly located at the vertebrae (aHR 1.15, 95 % CI, 1.06-1.25) and upper limb (aHR 1.07, 95 % CI, 1.01-1.14), but the risk for hip fracture was not increased (aHR 1.09, 95 % CI, 0.96-1.22). Conclusions: Urinary calculus is independently associated with higher risk of subsequent fracture. Patients with urinary calculi should pay attention to the future vertebral and upper limb fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is aging, and hemophilia patients are as well. The association between patients with hemophilia (PWH) and low bone mineral density is clear. However, the incidence of fractures in patients with hemophilia is inconclusive, and no research has yet explored repeated fractures among PWH. In this study, we investigated the incidence of all-site fractures, repeated fractures and osteoporotic fractures amongst PWH. The study compared the incidence of all-site fractures, repeated fractures and osteoporotic fractures occurring in all PWH who were enrolled in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1997 and 2013 with an age- and gender-matched group from the general population. Eight-hundred thirty-two PWH, along with 8320 members of the general population, were included in the final analysis. After multivariate COX regression analysis with an adjustment for confounding factors, it was found that PWH experienced a higher risk of osteoporotic fracture (HR: 1.25 with 95% CI of 1.03-2.52) but only saw a neutral effect with regards to both all-sites of fracture (HR: 1.00 with 95% CI of 0.92-1.09) and repeated fractures (HR: 1.01 with 95% CI of 0.92-1.10), when compared with the general population. This 14-year population-based cohort study showed that PWH had a higher risk of osteoporotic fracture, but that hemophilia only had a neutral effect in all-sites of fracture and repeated fractures. Screening, prevention and treatment for osteoporosis and further osteoporotic fractures among PWH, in order to improve quality of life and achieve healthy aging in this particular population, remain essential.

Population aging is a progressing issue in Taiwan, and osteoporosis, one of the most common diseases of elderly, has an occurrence positively correlated with aging. It is the major risk factor for bone fractures in elderly, which not only increases medical and social costs, but also higher risk of death. Therefore, prevention of osteoporosis is an important public health issue. The main preventive strategies for osteoporosis included evaluation of the risk for osteoporosis, screening of high-risk populations, pharmacologic therapy dietary intervention, and exercise. We reviewed literatures on osteoporosis and aimed to enhance clinical nurses' knowledge and ability of elderly caring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the effects of injury type and discharge placement on mortality, falls, hospital admissions, and changes in activities of daily living (ADLs) over a 12-month period among older fallers. Of 762 community-dwelling people aged 65years or older who visited an emergency department (ED) of a general hospital in Taiwan due to a fall, 273 sustained a hip fracture, 157 had a vertebral fracture, 47 had a distal forearm fracture, 102 had a traumatic brain injury, and 183 had soft-tissue injuries. Results showed that, compared to patients with a soft-tissue injury, those with TBI had significantly higher risks of dying (rate ratio (RR)=3.59) and hospital admissions (RR=3.23) and better improvement in ADLs (1.93 points) at 6months post-injury, and those who sustained a hip fracture (4.26 and 4.41 points), a vertebral fracture (3.81 and 3.83 points), or a distal-forearm fracture (2.80 and 2.80 points) had significantly better improvement in ADLs at 6 and 12months post-injury. Patients discharged to a nursing home had a significantly increased risk of death (RR=2.08) and hospital admission (RR=2.05) than those returning to their usual residence during the first year post-injury. No significant differences in the occurrence of falls during the first post-injury year were found among patients with different injury types or between those with different discharge placements. In conclusion, among the five major fall injury types in older people, TBIs result in the highest risk of death and hospital admissions, while hip and vertebral fractures exhibited the largest improvement during the first year after injury. Additionally, nursing home care may be associated with increased risks of death and hospital admissions than home care. In addition to primary prevention of falls, further research to investigate mechanisms leading to TBIs during a fall is needed to facilitate effective secondary fall-prevention programs for older people. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: This population-based matched cohort analysis explored the effects of bisphosphonate treatment on acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We found that patients who received bisphosphonate therapy had a lower risk of AMI during a 2-year follow-up period (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.35). Our data support that bisphosphonates may provide protective effects against cardiovascular events. Introduction: Although bisphosphonates have been suggested to have anti-atherosclerotic effects in animal models, evidence in human subjects is still conflicting. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of bisphosphonate treatment on AMI using a population-based cohort study. Methods: We identified 1,548 patients who received bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporotic fractures and randomly extracted 4,644 subjects with vertebral or hip fractures as a comparison cohort. Each patient was individually tracked for 2 years to identify those who subsequently suffered an AMI. Stratified Cox proportional hazards regressions were performed to assess the effect of bisphosphonate treatment on the risk of AMI. Results: Six (0.4 %) of the patients who received bisphosphonate therapy and 49 (1.1 %) of the comparison subjects suffered an AMI during the 2-year follow-up period. The incidence rate of AMI was 1.94 (95 % CI = 0.79-4.03) per 1,000 person-years in patients who received bisphosphonate therapy and 5.28 (95 % CI = 3.95-6.92) per 1,000 person-years in comparison patients. Regression analysis revealed that patients who received bisphosphonate therapy had a lower hazard of AMI during the 2-year follow-up period than comparison patients (HR = 0.37, 95 % CI = 0.16-0.85, p = 0.020). After censoring cases that died from non-AMI causes and adjusting for both demographic and risk factors, the HR of AMI for patients who received bisphosphonate therapy was 0.35 (95 % CI = 0.14-0.84, p = 0.020) than that of comparison patients. Conclusions: Patients who received bisphosphonate therapy had a lower risk of AMI during the 2-year follow-up period. Our data support that bisphosphonates may provide protective effects against cardiovascular events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial fracture intensity ( P, fracture area by volume) is an important characteristic of a jointed rock mass. Although it can hardly ever be measured, P can be modeled based on available geological information such as spatial data of the fracture network. Flow in a mass composed of low-permeability hard rock is controlled by joints and fractures. In this article, models were developed from a geological data set of fractured andesite in LanYu Island (Taiwan) where a site is investigated for possible disposal of low-level and intermediate-level radionuclide waste. Three different types of conceptual models of spatial fracture intensity distribution were generated, an Enhanced Baecher's model (EBM), a Levy-Lee Fractal model (LLFM) and a Nearest Neighborhood model (NNM). Modeling was conducted on a 10 × 10 × 10 m synthetic fractured block. Simulated flow was forced by a 1% hydraulic gradient between two vertical x- z faces of the cube (from North to South) with other boundaries set to no-flow conditions. Resulting flow vectors are very sensitive to spatial fracture intensity ( P). Flow velocity increases with higher fracture intensity ( P). R-squared values of regression analysis for the variables velocity ( V/ V) and fracture intensity ( P) are 0.293, 0.353, and 0.408 in linear fit and 0.028, 0.08, and 0.084 in power fit. Higher R values are positively linked with structural features but the relation between velocity and fracture intensity is non-linear. Possible flow channels are identified by stream-traces in the Levy-LeeFractal model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To reveal details of stress perturbations associated with faults and fractures, we investigated the faults and large fractures accompanied by stress-induced borehole breakouts or drilling-induced tensile fractures in hole B of the Taiwan Chelungpu-fault Drilling Project (TCDP). Then, we determined the relationship between the faults and fractures and stress orientation changes. We identified faults and fractures from electrical images of the borehole wall obtained by downhole logging but also from photographs and descriptions of retrieved core samples, and measured the variations in the principal horizontal stress orientation ascertained from borehole breakouts observed on the electrical images in the vicinity of the faults and fractures. Identification of geological structures (faults, fractures, and lithologic boundaries) by electrical images only is difficult and may sometimes yield incorrect results. In a novel approach, therefore, we used both the electrical images and core photographs to identify geological structures. We found four patterns of stress orientation change, or no change, in the vicinity of faults and fractures in TCDP hole B: (i) abrupt (discontinuous) rotation in the vicinity of faults or fractures; (ii) gradual rotation; (iii) suppression of breakouts at faults, fractures, or lithologic boundaries; and (iv) no change in the stress orientation. We recognized stress fluctuations, that is, heterogeneous mesoscale (≥10cm) stress distributions with respect to both stress orientation and magnitude. In addition, we found that stress state changes occurred frequently in the vicinity of faults, fractures, and lithologic boundaries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fractures are a common reason for hospital admissions. However, regional and short-term studies show a varying incidence rate (IR) of fractures, and most of the surveys were conducted from only a few medical centers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the epidemiological data of fracture hospitalizations of middle-aged and elderly persons in Taiwan between 2000 and 2015. Data from fractures occurring between 2000 and 2015 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan for this study. The IR of fracture admission in patients, aged 40 years or older at the time of admission and first-time diagnosed with a fracture following admission, was calculated. We found that the IR of the fracture hospitalizations declined considerably from 95.70 per 10,000 person-years in 2000, to 68.48 per 10,000 person-years in 2015. The three most common fracture hospitalizations accounting for more than 50% of all fractures were fractures of the femur/hip, radius or ulna, and vertebral column. The IR of fracture hospitalization increased with age and was found to be higher in women than in men. The most common cause of fracture hospitalization for men and patients under 65 years of age was traffic accidents. In contrast, falls were the most frequent causes of fracture hospitalization for women and patients over 65 years of age. The present study furnishes an updated picture of the incidence of fracture hospitalization over a 16-year period among middle-aged and elderly persons in Taiwan. • An updated picture of the 16-year incidence of fracture hospitalizations in the middle-aged and elderly persons was furnished. • The incidence rate of fracture hospitalizations increased with age and in women. • Fractures of the femur/hip, vertebral column, radius or ulna, and humerus accounted for the majority of fracture hospitalizations. • The most common cause of fracture hospitalizations for men and patients under 65 years of age was traffic accidents; falls were the most frequent causes of fracture hospitalizations for women and patients over 65 years of age. • Bone location and etiology distribution analyses give new perspectives for incidence rate of fracture hospitalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fractures are a great health issue associated with morbidity, quality of life, life span, and health care expenditure. Fractures are correlated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, and some psychiatric disorders. However, representative national data are few, and longitudinal cohort studies on the association between schizophrenia and the subsequent fracture risk are scant. We designed a nationwide population-based cohort study to investigate the association of schizophrenia with hip, vertebral, and wrist fractures over a 10-year follow-up., Methods: Data of patients with schizophrenia (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 295) and matched over January 2000-December 2009) were extracted from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A Cox proportional-hazards regression model was constructed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for fractures between the schizophrenia and control cohorts., Results: Of 2028 people with schizophrenia (mean age: 36.3 years, 49.4% female), 89 (4.4%) reported newly diagnosed fractures-significantly higher than the proportion in the control population (257, 3.2%; P = 0.007). The incidences of hip (1.2%, P = 0.009) and vertebral (2.6%, P = 0.011) fractures were significantly higher in the schizophrenia cohort than in the control cohort. In Cox regression analysis, hip (adjusted HR: 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-2.93) and vertebral (adjusted HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.01-1.95) fracture risks were significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, a sex-based subgroup analysis revealed that the risk of hip fracture remained significantly higher in female patients with schizophrenia (HR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.32-5.44) than in female controls. On the other hand, there was no significant interaction between effects of sex and schizophrenia on the risk of fractures., Conclusions: Over a 10-year follow-up, hip and vertebral fracture risks were higher in the people with schizophrenia than in the controls. The risk of fractures in patients with schizophrenia does not differ between female and male., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The Taiwan FRAX® calculator was validated to predict incident fractures preliminarily. Cutoffs of FRAX probability for predicting major osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture were proposed as 9.5% and 4% in Taiwanese individuals., Purpose: FRAX® is an algorithm used to calculate fracture probabilities based on clinical risk factors (CRFs) and bone mineral density (BMD). The country-specific Taiwan FRAX calculator has not been validated since its establishment in 2010. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the predictive performance of the Taiwan FRAX calculator using longitudinal fracture data., Methods: A total of 1975 subjects, aged ≧ 40 years old, from Yunlin and Tianliao cohorts in Taiwan during the period 2009-2010, were identified and completely connected with the 2008-2016 National Health Insurance Research Database., Results: During the average 6.8 ± 1.1 years of follow-up, 160 incident major osteoporotic fractures (MOFs) were identified. The predictive ability assessing based on the observed to expected fractures (O/E) ratio calculated with the FRAX probability adjusted for 6.8 years were 1.19 (95%CI 1.02-1.39) for MOF, and 1.07 (95%CI 0.82-1.39) for hip fractures. In the discriminative statistics, the AUC for prediction of major osteoporotic fractures using FRAX was 0.75 without and 0.77 with BMD (AUC for hip fracture was 0.75 without and 0.77 with BMD). The optimal cutoff value was 9.5% of the FRAX score with BMD for all major osteoporotic fractures, with good sensitivity (76.9%) and specificity (65.3%). For hip fractures, the optimal cutoff point for the FRAX probability with BMD was 4.0%, and the sensitivity and specificity were 74.4% and 68.3%, respectively., Conclusion: The Taiwan FRAX® calculator was validated to predict incident fractures preliminarily. Cutoffs are proposed for predicting fracture risk in Taiwanese individuals., (© 2022. International Osteoporosis Foundation and National Osteoporosis Foundation.)

The survival of patients with HIV has greatly improved, due to Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). However, long-term HIV survivors often develop serious bone abnormalities, possibly due to the interplay of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, HIV ad ART. We evaluated in a nation-wide study in Taiwan the effect of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on overall mortality in HIV patients with osteoporosis or fractures. Enrollment period was between 1998 and 2011. Patients with osteoporosis or fractures before the HIV infection, and those with less than 14 days CHM use, were excluded. This left 498 patients, 160 CHM users, 338 without CHM. Univariate Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to compare the overall mortality in these 2 groups. Due to the nature of Chinese medicine, CHMs inevitably varied. We therefore also used rule mining and network analysis to determine which major CHM clusters were prescribed to the patients. CHM users had a much Lower mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.24–0.77, p < 0.005) and higher survival (p = 0.004, log-rank test). Although the CHMs greatly varied, network analysis identified one main cluster of strongly related CHM combinations (Chuan-Xiong-Cha-Tiao-San (CXCTS), Gan-Cao (GC; Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), Liu-He-Tang (LHT), Huang-Qin-Tang (HQT), Jia-Wei-Ping-Wei-San (JWPWS), and Dang-Gui-Long-Hui-Wan (DGLHuiW)). CHM as an additional treatment strongly improves overall survival in HIV-infected patients with osteoporosis and fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To evaluate the fracture risk among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) or warfarin., Methods and Results: We conducted a real-world nationwide retrospective cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. All adult patients in Taiwan newly diagnosed with AF between 2012 and 2016 who received NOACs or warfarin were enrolled and followed up until 2017. Patients treated with NOACs were sub-grouped according to the NOAC used (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban). Propensity score matching was performed for each head-to-head comparison. Cox regression analysis, with a shared frailty model, was used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for hip, vertebral, and humerus/forearm/wrist fractures. After matching, 19 414 patients were included (9707 in each NOAC and warfarin groups). The median follow-up time was 2.4 years. Compared with warfarin, NOACs were associated with a reduced fracture risk [aHR = 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.77-0.93; P < 0.001]. Sub-analyses revealed that each NOAC, namely dabigatran (aHR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78-0.99; P = 0.027), rivaroxaban (aHR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.72-0.90; P < 0.001), and apixaban (aHR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.52-0.87; P = 0.003), had a reduced fracture risk. Analyses including all eligible patients, without propensity score matching, generated similar results., Conclusion: Compared with warfarin, NOAC was associated with a reduced fracture risk among AF patients. Therefore, if oral anticoagulants are indicated, NOACs rather than warfarin should be considered to lower the risk of fractures. However, further studies are needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms and elucidate causality., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2020. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: To test whether fractures and osteoporosis are more prevalent among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) than patients without OUD in Taiwan., Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan., Setting: Taiwan., Participants: The number of adult patients with OUD and without OUD was 3695 and 14 780, respectively. We established both cohorts from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2011 to observe the incidence of fracture. The occurrence of fracture was followed-up until the end of 2011., Measurements: The primary measure was incidence of fracture. The relative risk of fracture was estimated using the Cox proportional hazard model after adjusting for age, sex, index year and comorbidities. Comorbidities included diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, alcohol-related illness, osteoporosis, end-stage renal disease, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis, using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, clinical modification., Findings: Patients with OUD were 4.13 times more likely to suffer fractures than patients without OUD [incidence rate (IR) per 1000 person-years = 23.0 versus 5.47, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 3.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.27-4.29]. Compared with the control group, the risk of fracture was higher among the patients with OUD. Risk of fracture was higher in male elderly patients with diabetes mellitus, alcohol-related illness or osteoporosis. The cumulative incidences of fracture over 14 years of patients with OUD and without OUD differed significantly., Conclusions: Taiwanese patients with opioid use disorder appear to have a higher adjusted hazard ratio for fracture than Taiwanese patients without opioid use disorder., (© 2019 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Background: This study aimed to identify the risk factors and complications associated with mortality in elderly patients with femoral fracture after a fall from the ground level., Methods: This retrospective study reviewed data pertaining to elderly patients aged ≥65 years who were admitted into a Level I trauma center, between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2017. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent effects of univariate predictive variables on the occurrence of mortality., Results: Of 2407 enrolled elderly patients, there were 42 mortal and 2365 survival patients. A greater percentage of fatal patients than survival patients had a head injury with abbreviated injury scale (AIS) score ≥ 2 in the head/neck region (4.8% vs. 0.7%, respectively; p = 0.042). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the age (odds ration [OR] 1.1, 95% confident interval [CI] 1.0-1.1, p < 0.001), pre-existence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.2-8.7, p = 0.023), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (OR 12.1, 95% CI 1.3-113.9, p = 0.029) were significant independent risk factors for mortality in elderly patients with a femoral fracture resulting from a ground level fall. The patients in mortality group had a significantly higher rates of pneumonia (OR 28.6, 95% CI 14.6-55.9, p < 0.001), respiratory failure (OR 68.7, 95% CI 32.2-146.4, p < 0.001), sepsis (OR 26.3, 95% CI 10.9-63.4, p < 0.001), and pulmonary embolism (OR 14.4, 95% CI 1.6-131.6, p = 0.002) than those in the survival groups., Conclusions: This study identified age, pre-existence of ESRD, and SAH as significant independent risk factors for mortality in elderly patients with femoral fracture in a fall. However, ESRD and SAH only contribute to the mortality in a small group of patients. In contrast, respiratory complications contributed greatly to mortality. Thus aggressive chest-protective measures are encouraged to decrease the respiratory complications associated with femoral fracture in elderly patients., (Copyright © 2019 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)