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Aim This study set out to explore the association between obstructive sleep apnoea ( OSA) and prior chronic periodontitis ( CP) by utilizing a population-based data set with a case-control design in Taiwan. Materials and Methods We included 7673 subjects with OSA as cases, and randomly selected 21,963 subjects without a history of OSA as controls. We performed conditional logistic regression analyses to explore the association between OSA and having been previously diagnosed with CP. Results There was a significant difference in the prevalence of prior CP between cases and controls (33.8% versus 22.6%, p < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis suggested that the odds ratio of prior CP for cases was 1.75 (95% CI = 1.68-1.88) times greater than that of controls after adjusting for monthly income and geographical location, as well as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidaemia, obesity, tobacco use disorder, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alcohol abuse. Conclusion Our study detected an association between OSA and a prior diagnosis of CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is one type of chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease. It has been suggested that rheumatic diseases may have additional underlying factors in common with chronic periodontitis. However, few studies have addressed the possible link between AS and chronic periodontitis. We undertook the present case-control study to investigate the possible association between AS and chronic periodontitis using a population-based data set in Taiwan. Methods We conducted this study by using administrative claims data sourced from the Taiwan National Health Insurance program database. Our study included 6,821 AS patients and 34,105 randomly selected controls. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for prior chronic periodontitis among AS patients and matched controls. Results There was a significant difference in the prevalence of prior chronic periodontitis between patients and controls (41.5% versus 25.9%; P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that patients were more likely than controls to have been previously diagnosed as having chronic periodontitis (adjusted OR 1.84 [95% CI 1.74-1.98]). We further found that patients were only 1.70 (95% CI 1.56-1.89) times more likely than controls to have undergone a gingivectomy or periodontal flap operation (all patients had a history of chronic periodontitis) within the 5 years preceding the index date. After excluding those who had undergone either a gingivectomy or periodontal flap surgery, patients were even more likely than controls to have been previously diagnosed as having chronic periodontitis (adjusted OR 2.04 [95% CI 1.93-2.15]). Conclusion This study detected an association between AS and a prior diagnosis of chronic periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chronic inflammation has been associated with endothelial dysfunction and altered coagulation status. However, at the present time, the data regarding the risk for developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still scanty and conflicted. This study aimed to explore the frequency and association of DVT with RA using a population-based dataset. Methods: This was a case-control study conducted in Taiwan. A total of 5193 patients with DVT were identified from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000) database. In total, 20,772 controls matched with cases in terms of gender, age, and year of index date were randomly selected. We used conditional logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for having been previously diagnosed with RA between cases and controls. Results: Of the total 25,965 sampled subjects, 235 (0.9%) had been previously diagnosed with RA. Seventy-seven of these previous diagnoses were found among cases (1.5%) and 158 among controls (0.8%). Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that cases were more likely to have had prior RA than controls (OR, 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-2.53; P < .001). After adjusting for hospitalization history, pregnancy, fracture, surgery, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and renal disease, there was still a significant association between DVT and prior RA (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.42-2.58; P < .001). Conclusions: We found RA to be significantly associated with DVT. Appropriate management should be taken to minimize the risk of DVT in patients with RA. Further study is needed to confirm our findings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim This study set out to explore the possibility that chronic periodontitis ( CP) may also be a condition that could potentially result in secondary or symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia ( TN) by utilizing a population-based dataset and cohort study design in Taiwan. Materials and Methods We included 110,104 subjects with CP in our study cohort, and randomly selected 110,104 subjects without a history of CP as a comparison cohort. We individually tracked each patient in this study for a 5-year period to identify those who received a subsequent diagnosis of TN. Results The incidence rate of TN during the 5-year follow-up period was 4.40 (95% CI = 3.87-4.98) per 10,000 person-years for subjects with CP, and 2.60 (95% CI = 2.20-3.05) per 10,000 person-years in comparison subjects. Cox proportional analysis revealed that the adjusted hazard ratio ( HR) of TN during the 5-year follow-up period for subjects with CP was 1.65 (95% CI = 1.34-2.03) times higher than that of comparison subjects. However, the study subjects who had undergone a gingivectomy or periodontal flap operation did not have a higher adjusted risk of TN than comparison subjects ( HR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.54-1.61). Conclusion Our study detected a greater risk for TN among patients with CP than matched comparison subjects . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Purpose: To date, the occurrence of erectile dysfunction (ED) associating with herpes zoster (HZ) is only based on limited case reports. This case–control study aimed at examining the association between HZ and ED using a population-based dataset in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 6429 adults newly diagnosed with ED were identified as cases, and 38,574 subjects without any medical history of ED were extracted as controls. Conditional logistic regression models were performed. Results: In total, 1.03% out of the sampled subjects had been diagnosed with HZ within one year prior to the index date; a higher proportion of prior HZ was found among cases than controls (2.04% vs. 0.86%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for demographic characteristics, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence syndrome, conditional logistic regression suggested that cases were more likely to have previously been diagnosed with HZ than controls (OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.82–2.75). Furthermore, the odds of having been diagnosed with an HZ infection within one year prior to the index date were dramatically higher among patients with ED than controls among subjects aged 18–29 (OR = 6.07). Conclusions: We conclude that ED was associated with having been previously diagnosed with HZ, particularly among younger males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly affects young adults who may be sexually active, with sexual dysfunction being a significant, but often underestimated, symptom of MS. However, no large-scaled study has investigated the association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and MS in an Asian population to date. Objective. The objective of this study is to estimate the association between ED and a prior diagnosis of MS using a population-based dataset with a case-control design in Taiwan. Methods. The data were sourced from National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 38,139 patients with ED as cases and randomly selected 262,848 subjects as controls. We then used conditional logistic regression to compute the odds ratio for having previously received a diagnosis of MS between cases and controls. Results. The prevalence of prior MS was 0.037% and 0.015% for cases and controls, respectively ( P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that cases were 2.23 times (95% confidence interval = 1.15-4.32) more likely to have been previously diagnosed with MS than controls after adjusting for monthly income, geographic location, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence syndromes. Conclusions. This study revealed an association between ED and prior MS even after adjusting for potential confounders. Keller JJ, Liang Y-C, and Lin H-C. Association between multiple sclerosis and erectile dysfunction: A nationwide case-control study. J Sex Med 2012;9:1770-1776. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Introduction. While many studies have been conducted investigating the efficacy of varicocele treatment on fertility, the literature is comparatively sparse concerning the association between varicocele, varicocelectomy, and erectile dysfunction (ED). Aim. This study aimed to estimate the associations between varicocele, varicocelectomy, and ED using a population-based dataset. Methods. This study used data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 in Taiwan. A total of 32,856 cases and 98,568 randomly selected controls were included in this study. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between ED and having been previously diagnosed with varicocele or having underwent a varicocelectomy. Main Outcome Measure. The odds of prior varicocele or having underwent a varicocelectomy between cases and controls. Results. Of the sampled patients, the prevalence of prior varicocele was 3.3% and 1.2% for cases and controls, respectively ( P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis suggested that the odds ratio (OR) of being previously diagnosed with varicocele for cases was 3.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.67-3.49) when compared with controls after adjusting for monthly income, geographic location, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, hypogonadism, obesity, and alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence syndrome. Furthermore, cases were 1.92 (95% CI = 1.52-2.43) times more likely to have undergone a varicocelectomy than controls. Furthermore, subjects aged between 18 and 29 had the highest ORs for prior varicocele among cases when compared with controls (OR = 5.20; 95% CI = 3.27-8.28). Conclusion. This investigation succeeded in identifying an association between both varicocele and ED. We also realized that varicocele patients who underwent a varicocelectomy had lower magnitudes of association with ED than those who did not. Keller JJ, Chen Y-K, and Lin H-C. Varicocele is associated with erectile dysfunction: A population-based case-control study. J Sex Med 2012;9:1762-1769. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To explore the association between chronic periodontitis (CP) and erectile dysfunction (ED) by using a nationwide, population-based dataset with a retrospective case-control design in Taiwan. Material and Methods We identified 32,856 patients with ED as cases and randomly selected 162,480 patients as controls. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between ED and having been previously diagnosed with CP. Results Of the sampled patients 24,294 (12.3%) had been diagnosed with CP prior to the index date; this included 8825 cases (26.9% of the patients with ED) and 15,469 controls (9.4% of the comparison cohort). After adjusting for patient monthly income, age, geographic location, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, coronary heart disease, obesity, and alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence syndrome, patients with ED were more likely to have been diagnosed with CP prior to the index date than controls (OR = 3.35, 95% CI = 3.25-3.45, p < 0.001). In addition, the association was much stronger among the population aged less than 30 years (OR = 4.54, 95% CI = 3.81-5.40) and the group aged over than 69 years (OR = 4.84, 95% CI = 4.35-5.39). Conclusions Our study demonstrated an association between ED and having been previously diagnosed with CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: There is no increased risk for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) among people who have experienced a recent herpes zoster attack, compared with a matching population. Objective: The pathogenesis of SSNHL remains unknown, but viral infection is considered to be one of the main causes. The objective of this case-cohort study was to investigate the frequency and risk for SSNHL following a recent herpes zoster attack in the general population. Methods: We extracted 313 612 patients with herpes zoster from a nationwide health registry in Taiwan, and also randomly selected 313 612 matched control subjects. Each participant was individually tracked for 2 months from their index ambulatory care visit to identify those who developed SSNHL. Stratified Cox proportional hazard regressions were conducted to analyze the risk of SSNHL for the sampled patients. Results: Of the sample of 627 224 patients, 121 (0.02%) had SSNHL during the 2-month follow-up period, 59 from the study group (0.02% of the herpes zoster patients) and 62 from the comparison group (0.02% of patients without herpes zoster). Regression analysis revealed no increased adjusted hazard of SSNHL during the 2-month follow-up period for patients with herpes zoster as compared to those without (hazard ratio = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.63-1.28, p = 0.540) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is associated with systemic metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, and both share common risk factors with erectile dysfunction (ED). However, few studies have investigated the association of ED with OAG. This study aimed to estimate the association of ED with prior OAG by using a nationwide, population-based data with a retrospective case-control cohort design in Taiwan. Design: Age-matched case-control study. Participants and Controls: We identified 4605 patients with ED as the cases and randomly selected 23 025 subjects as the controls (5 controls to 1 case). Methods: We used conditional logistic regression analysis to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of having previously been diagnosed with OAG according to the presence/absence of ED after adjusting for patient''s monthly income, geographical location, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and alcohol abuse. Main Outcome Measures: We identified OAG cases not only based on an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code, but also by the prescription of topical antiglaucoma medication. Results: In total, prior OAG was found among 137 subjects (0.5 %); 53 individuals (1.1% of the ED patients) from the cases and 84 individuals (0.4% of patients without ED) from the controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis demonstrated that, after adjusting for potential confounders, patients with ED were more likely to have prior OAG than controls (odds ratio, 2.85; 95% confidence interval, 2.10–4.07). Conclusions: This study identifies a novel association between ED and prior OAG. Financial Disclosure(s): The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]