The objective of this study was to explore the association between statins use and risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We used the research database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance program to conduct a population-based case-control study. Cases were 3,480 patients with newly diagnosed HCC identified during 2000 and 2009. Controls were 13,920 subjects without HCC and frequency matched for age, sex and duration of observational period of cases (i.e., the duration between year of being enrolled in the insurance program and index year of cases). Six commercially available statins, including simvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, atorvastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin, were analyzed. The adjusted odds ratio [OR] of HCC was 0.72 [95% (CI) 0.59-0.88] for the group with stains use, when compared to the group with non-use of statins. In sub-analysis, simvastatin (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.94), lovastatin (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.36-0.76) and atorvastatin (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53-0.93) were associated with significant reduction in odds of HCC. Statins use correlates with 28% decreased risk of HCC. Individual statins, including simvastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin, are associated with reduced risk of HCC.

BACKGROUND:

The incidence of prostate cancer is much lower in Asian men than in Western men. This study investigated whether prostate cancer is associated with prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and other medical conditions in the low-incidencepopulation.

METHODS:

From the claims data obtained from the universal National Health Insurance of Taiwan, we identified 1184 patients with prostate cancer diagnosed from 1997 to 2008. Controls comprised 4736 men randomly selected from a cancer-free population. Both groups were 50 years of age or above. Medical histories between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS:

Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that prostatitis and BPH had stronger association with prostate cancer than the other medical conditions tested. Compared with men without prostatitis and BPH, a higher odds ratio (OR) for prostate cancer was associated with BPH (26.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 20.8-33.0) than with prostatitis (10.5, 95% CI=3.36-32.7). Men with both conditions had an OR of 49.2 (95% CI=34.7-69.9).

CONCLUSION:

Men with prostate cancer have strong association with prostatitis and/or BPH. Prostatitis interacts with BPH, resulting in higher estimated relative risk of prostate cancer in men suffering from both conditions.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aimed to associate hospital admissions of kidney diseases with extreme temperature and prolonged heat/cold events in 7 regions of Taiwan.

METHODS:

Age-specific (<65 years, 65+years and all ages) hospital admission records of nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, or nephrosis, in the form of electronic insurance reimbursement claims, were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database during the period of 2000-2008. The area-age-specific relative risk (RR) accounting for 8 days of lag for temperature on hospital admissions of kidney diseases were estimated using distributed lag non-linear models with the Poisson distribution controlling for extreme temperature events, levels of air pollutants (PM(10), O(3), and NO(2)) and potential confounders.

RESULTS:

We observed a V or J-shape association between daily average temperatures and the RR estimates for hospital admissions of kidney diseases in Taiwan. The lowest risk for hospital admissions of kidney diseases was found at around 25 °C, and risk increased as temperatures deviated from 25 °C. The pooled cumulative 8-day RR for all ages of population of the 7 study areas were 1.10 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.19) at 18 °C and 1.45 (95% CI: 1.27, 1.64) at 30 °C. High temperature has more profound influence on hospital admission of kidney diseases than low temperature. Temperature risks for hospital admissions were similar between younger (<65 years) and elderly (65+years) population. This study observed no significant effects of prolonged heat extremes on hospital admissions of kidney diseases.

CONCLUSIONS:

The heat effect for kidney morbidities leading to hospital admission was more significant than that of the cold temperature. This study did not find the age-dependent relative risks for temperature associating with hospital admissions of kidney diseases.