Severe cutaneous adverse reactions and risk of autoimmune disease, including psoriasis and ulcerative colitis: A cohort study.

Background: Limited evidence exists on the association between autoimmune disease (AD) risk and patients with severe cutaneous adverse reactions(SCARs). The aim of this study was to estimate the risks of a set of incident autoimmune outcomes in patients with SCARs.

Methods: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to build a cohort of 21,170 eligible individuals with SCARs and a matched non-SCARs cohort comprising 211,700 individuals.

Hydroxychloroquine dose-dependently reduces the risk of incident diabetes in primary Sjögren syndrome patients on glucocorticoids: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is commonly used to treat Sjögren syndrome (SS). Glucocorticoids, which are commonly applied for managing primary SS (pSS), can disrupt glucose metabolism and increase diabetes mellitus (DM) risk. HCQ reduces DM risk in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Effect of TNF-α blockers on reducing the risk of dementia in rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) share characteristics of chronic inflammation and immune system dysregulation. RA patients are known to have an increased risk of dementia, yet studies on the association between tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α blocker use and dementia risk in RA patients are lacking. This population-based cohort study aimed to investigate whether TNF-α blocker use is associated with a reduced risk of dementia in RA patients.

Psoriasis Risk Is Lower in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Using Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors or Thiazolidinediones Compared to Sulfonylureas.

The risk of psoriasis in diabetic patients has rarely been explored. This study aims to compare the risk of incident psoriasis in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) who initiate dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) or thiazolidinediones (TZDs) with those who initiate sulfonylureas, the most common second-line glucose-lowering therapy, in addition to metformin monotherapy. This sequential, propensity-score-matched, new-user comparative effectiveness study utilized a target trial emulation framework.

Identification of tophi in ultrasound imaging based on transfer learning and clinical practice.

Gout is a common metabolic disorder characterized by deposits of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals (tophi) in soft tissue, triggering intense and acute arthritis with intolerable pain as well as articular and periarticular inflammation. Tophi can also promote chronic inflammatory and erosive arthritis. 2015 ACR/EULAR Gout Classification criteria include clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, where cases of gout are indicated by a threshold score of ≥ 8.

Association of interferon-based therapy with risk of autoimmune diseases in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: A population-based Taiwanese cohort study.

Background: Interferon in combination with ribavirin has been the standard of care for chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) for the past few decades. However, its effect on the risk of autoimmune diseases (ADs) among patients with HCV infection remains unclear. We assessed the potential association between interferon-based therapy (IBT) and AD risk in patients with HCV infection.

Spinal cord injury and spinal fracture in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) and spinal fracture are major complications in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who sustain spinal trauma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence, predictors, and sequelae of spinal trauma in patients with AS.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with AS who were admitted for spinal trauma between January 1, 2006, and June 30, 2016.

H1-Antihistamines Reduce the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, or Dual Hepatitis B Virus-Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Purpose: H1-antihistamines (AHs) may exert protective effects against cancer. This study investigated the association of AH use with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or dual HBV-HCV virus infection.

Materials And Methods: Patients with HBV, HCV, or dual HBV-HCV infection were enrolled from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and examined for the period from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2015.

Effects of biologics on reducing the risks of total knee replacement and total hip replacement in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: RA damages the joints and increases the risks of total knee replacement (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR). However, the benefits of biologics in preventing TKR or THR remain unclear.

Methods: This retrospective nationwide study used the 2000-2013 claims-based National Health Insurance dataset.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a nationwide population-based study.

Objective: To compare Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) risk between patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) and the general population METHODS: We identified patients with ARD recorded in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2002 to 2015 and randomly selected a comparison cohort from the general population matched for age and sex. We analyzed PJP risk stratified by sex, age, comorbidities, and medications using Cox proportional hazard model.

Results: We enrolled 103,117 patients with ARD.

Primary Sjogren syndrome increases the risk of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

The risk of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) in primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS) has rarely been explored. To explore the association between BRONJ and pSS, we conducted a population-based propensity-score-matched cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, including pSS patients receiving antiosteoporotic therapy and patients without pSS receiving antiosteoporotic therapy. A 1:4 matched-pair cohort based on propensity score was created.

Risk of incident autoimmune diseases in patients with thymectomy.

Objectives: The data concerning the association between Tx and ADs remain unclear and are scarce. This study was undertaken to investigate whether people with Tx are more likely to develop ADs, compared to those without Tx.

Methods: Individuals who received Tx between 2002 and 2015 were identified and matched on age and sex with individuals without Tx.

Higher risk of Parkinson disease in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective: This study assessed the risk of Parkinson disease (PD) in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) using a nationwide, population-based cohort during a 15-year follow-up period.

Method: We identified 17,028 patients with pSS by using the catastrophic illness registry in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, and 68,094 matched non-pSS controls.

Results: The pSS cohort showed a higher incidence of PD development than did the non-pSS cohort (1.

Higher risk of dementia in primary Sjogren's syndrome.

Objective: We studied the risk of dementia in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) using a nationwide, population-based cohort in Taiwan.

Methods: Our study analyzed the medical data of the Taiwanese population from 2000 to 2014. We identified 17,072 patients with pSS and 68,270 controls.

Do etoricoxib and indometacin have similar effects and safety for gouty arthritis? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Gout, a common medical condition that causes pain, can be treated by painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Indometacin and etoricoxib are two such drugs. However, no synthesized evidence exists comparing etoricoxib with indometacin in treating patients with gout.

Thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis increases the risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: Previous studies have shown myasthenia gravis (MG) and autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) share common pathogenetic mechanisms. Therefore, the present study investigated the possible relationship between MG and ARDs.

Methods: We analysed Taiwanese medical data from the Registry of Catastrophic Illness and identified patients with MG.

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases increase dementia risk in middle-aged patients: A nationwide cohort study.

Objective: Dementia is a common neurological disease that substantially affects public health. A previous study revealed that dementia occurs when the body's immune system attacks the cells of the brain, indicating that dementia may be similar to autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). In the current retrospective cohort study, we focused on middle-aged ARD patients (45 years or older) to investigate the association between ARDs in middle-aged people and dementia by using a nationwide population-based database in Taiwan.

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases and the risk of Parkinson disease: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

Backgrounds: In autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), the levels of inflammatory mediators are increased and microglia may be activated, resulting in an inflammatory state and the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. We investigated the association between ARDs and Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: We identified ARD patients through the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2001 to 2012.