Association of Herpes Zoster and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

<div><p>Objective</p><p>The purpose of our study was to determine the association of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and the risk of herpes zoster (HZ).</p><p>Methods</p><p>In this cohort study, we selected 4736 patients with T1DM registered in the Catastrophic Illness Patient Database who received insulin therapy before 2003 and 18944 participants without DM who were selected by frequency matched based on sex and age. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to measure the hazard ratios (HRs) of HZ in the T1DM group compared with that in the non-T1DM group.</p><p>Results</p><p>Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that the adjusted HR of HZ was 2.38 times higher for patients in the T1DM group (95% CI = 1.77–3.19) than for those in the non-T1DM group. According to diabetes severity, mild and serious T1DM patients were associated with a higher risk of HZ (adjusted HR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.67–3.05; and adjusted HR = 5.08, 95% CI = 2.66–9.71, respectively) than subjects without T1DM.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Patients with T1DM are at a higher risk of HZ than those without T1DM.</p></div

Baseline demographic factors and comorbidity of study participants according to T1DM status.

<p>Baseline demographic factors and comorbidity of study participants according to T1DM status.</p

Cumulative incidence curves of herpes zoster for groups with and without T1DM.

<p>T1DM, type 1 diabetes mellitus.</p

Incidence density rates and hazard ratios of herpes zoster in different groups.

<p>Incidence density rates and hazard ratios of herpes zoster in different groups.</p

Morbid obesity in Taiwan: Prevalence, trends, associated social demographics, and lifestyle factors

<div><p>Objective</p><p>Obesity is one of the most important public health issues worldwide. Moreover, an extreme phenotype, morbid obesity (MO) has insidiously become a global problem. Therefore, we aimed to document the prevalence trend and to unveil the epidemiological characteristics of MO in Taiwan.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Nationally representative samples aged 19 years and above from three consecutive waves of Nutrition and Health survey in Taiwan: 1993–1996, 2005–2008, and 2013–2014 (n = 3,071; 1,673; and 1,440; respectively) were analyzed for prevalence trend. And 39 MO (BMI ≥35 kg/m²) cases from the two recent surveys compared with 156 age, gender, and survey-matched normal weight controls (BMI: 18.5–24 kg/m²) for epidemiological characteristics study. The reduced rank regression analysis was used to find dietary pattern associated with MO.</p><p>Results</p><p>The prevalence of overweight and obesity together (BMI ≥24 kg/m²) was stabilized in the recent two surveys, but that of MO (0.4%, 0.6%, to 1.4%) and obesity (BMI ≥27 kg/m²) (11.8%, 17.9%, to 22.0%) increased sharply. MO cases tended to have lower levels of education, personal income, and physical activity. Furthermore, their dietary pattern featured with a higher consumption frequency of red meat, processed animal products, and sweets/sweetened beverage, but lower frequencies of fresh fruits, nuts, breakfast cereal, and dairy products.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>This study documents a polarization phenomenon with smaller proportion of overweight people at the center and higher proportions of normal weight and obesity subjects at two extremes. MO was associated with low socioeconomic status and poor dietary pattern. The obesogenic dietary pattern became more prevalent in later time.</p></div

Odds ratio for fracture among different period of drug used by gender.

<p>Adjusted for age, gender, ESRD, stroke and osteoporosis</p><p>Odds ratio for fracture among different period of drug used by gender.</p

Food items with high absolute loading values discovered by RRR analysis, correlation coefficients between food frequency and dietary pattern score, and median food frequency by weight status.

<p>Food items with high absolute loading values discovered by RRR analysis, correlation coefficients between food frequency and dietary pattern score, and median food frequency by weight status.</p

Demographics between patients with and without fracture.

<p>Chi-square test,</p><p>^† t-test</p><p>Demographics between patients with and without fracture.</p

The BMI distribution (proportions of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and several obesity classes) and median dietary pattern score by surveys.

<p>The BMI distribution (proportions of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and several obesity classes) and median dietary pattern score by surveys.</p

The Odds ratio of quartiles of dietary pattern score to morbid obesity.

<p>The Odds ratio of quartiles of dietary pattern score to morbid obesity.</p