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Background: Twin infants are likely at great risk for ROP, but studies reported conflicting findings and population studies examining the risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in twins is limited. We aimed to evaluate the ROP risk in the cohort of one of twins, comparing to singletons. Material and methods: Using insurance claims data of a half of children in Taiwan ages 18 and less, we established a twin cohort (N = 27830) born in 1998–2009 and a randomly selected singleton cohort (N = 111080) frequency matched by sex, birth year, residential area and parental occupation and followed up to 2012 years. Results: The overall incidence rate of ROP was 13.6-fold greater in the twin cohort than in the singleton cohort (35.1 vs. 2.58 per 10,000 person-years; adjusted HR = 13.4, 95% CI = 11.7–15.3; p <0.0001). The ROP incidence was slightly higher in boys than in girls, higher in children in more urbanized areas and born to mothers without works. The incident ROP increased with decreasing birthweight. For children with birthweight <1000 grams, the ROP incidence was 1.2-fold greater in the twin cohort than in the singleton cohort (1243.2 vs. 1016.3 per 10,000 person-years). The use of mechanical ventilation was associated with increased ROP risk for both cohorts, particularly for infants who were under invasive treatment. Conclusion: Infants who were born as twins or born with low birthweight were at an elevated risk of developing ROP. Extreme cautious and close monitor are required for new born with low birthweight and have undergone with mechanical ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early-onset cataracts (EOC) are associated with an increased inflammatory response; therefore, a potential risk of other inflammatory diseases, like peptic ulcer, may be related. This study investigated the risk of peptic ulcer after being diagnosed with EOC. Retrospective claims data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were analyzed. Study subjects comprised patients with EOC (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9- CM] codes 366.00, 366.01, 366.02, 366.03, 366.04, 366.09, 366.17 and 366.18), aged 20–55 years and newly diagnosed between 2000 and 2010 (n = 1910), and a comparison cohort without the disease (n = 7515). Both cohorts were followed up until 2010 to estimate the incidences of peptic ulcer. We used the Poisson regression model to compare incidence rate ratios and the 95% confidence interval (CI). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the hazard ratio (HR) of peptic ulcer associated with EOC. The overall incidence rate of peptic ulcer was higher in the EOC cohort than in the comparison cohort (10.3 vs 7.68 per 1000 person-years) with an adjusted HR of 1.33 (95% CI = 1.05, 1.69). The present study suggests that patients with EOC are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with peptic ulcer in subsequent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]