National Health Screening Research Articles

Association between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Ménière's Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort.

This study explored the relation between Ménière’s disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The ≥40-year-old population of the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort was included. In total, 7734 Ménière’s disease patients and 30,936 control participants were enrolled. Control participants were matched for age, sex, income, and region of residence with Ménière’s disease participants. The odds of having Ménière’s disease given a history of COPD were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age, sex, income, and region of residence. The odds of having Ménière’s disease were found to be 1.18-fold higher with a history of COPD than with no history of COPD (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.06–1.32, E-value (CI) = 1.64 (1.31)). The ≥60 years old, male, low-income, and rural subgroups showed increased odds of developing Ménière’s disease when a history of COPD was reported. A history of COPD was associated with an increased risk of Ménière’s disease in the adult population.

Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the risk of biliary tract cancers: A South Korean nationwide cohort study

AimsThe association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cholangiocarcinoma has been previously reported only in case–control studies. Therefore, we conducted this nationwide cohort study to evaluate the longitudinal association between NAFLD and the risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC), including cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. MethodsWe included 8,120,674 adults who underwent national health screening in 2009 based on the Korean National Health Insurance Service data. NAFLD was determined using the fatty liver index: ≥60, NAFLD; 30–59, intermediate score; <30, no NAFLD. The exclusion criteria were baseline clinical liver disease, heavy alcohol consumption and cancer. Participants were followed up until December 2017 for the development of BTC. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed. ResultsDuring the median follow-up period of 7.2 years, 13,043 patients were with newly diagnosed BTC. NAFLD was associated with an increased risk of BTC (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.20–1.37) compared with no NAFLD. The aHRs for the association of cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer with NAFLD were 1.33 (95% CI, 1.23–1.43) and 1.14 (95% CI, 1.003–1.29), respectively. Overall, the aHR for BTC tended to increase with the increasing fatty liver index (P for trend < 0.001). Concomitant NAFLD and diabetes were associated with an increased risk of BTC by 47% (aHR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.35–1.60). ConclusionIn this nationwide cohort study, NAFLD was associated with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. This finding suggests that NAFLD is a potentially modifiable risk factor for BTC.

An Investigation of the Association between Health Screening and Dental Scaling in Korea.

Dental disease is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, and its expenditure is continuously increasing. Periodontal disease is increasing as a chronic non-communicable disease in adults and older people. Health screening has been shown to be cost-effective and improves the quality of life through the early detection of diseases. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between national health screening and dental scaling as a preventive service for periodontal disease. The study used sample cohort data from 2002 to 2015 provided by the National Health Insurance Sharing Service in South Korea. A logistic regression analysis of the utilization of dental scaling was performed to identify the independent effects of national health screening. People who underwent health screening showed a higher tendency to undergo dental scaling. Additionally, disparities in utilization according to socioeconomic status were reduced among those who underwent screening. The intervention to extend dental coverage could be more beneficial when combined with health screening, encouraging more people to participate and reducing inequalities in utilization.

Effects of changes in regular physical activity status on hip fracture: A nationwide population-based cohort study in Korea.

ObjectiveHip fracture incidence is increasing with rapid aging of the population and regular physical activity (RPA) is an important modifiable protective factor for fracture. However, the association between the risk of hip fractures and changes in RPA status in the general population remains unknown. Thus, we explore the association between the risk of hip fracture and changes in RPA status.MethodsWe studied 4,984,144 individuals without fractures within a year whose data were registered in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Baseline physical activity level was assessed using a standardized self-reported questionnaire during two consecutive national health screening surveys performed in Korea from 2009 to 2012. The risk of hip fracture between 2013 and 2016 according to change in RPA was prospectively analyzed. Participants were divided into those who were always inactive, became inactive, became active, and were always active.ResultsCompared to participants who were always inactive, those who became inactive exhibited a 0.12/1,000 person-years (PY) reduction in hip fracture incidence rate (IR) [aHR: 0.865; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.824–0.908]. Participants who became active, and those who were always active, exhibited a 0.24/1,000 PY reduction in IR (aHR: 0.827; 95% CI: 0.787–0.870) and a 0.39/1,000 PY reduction in IR (aHR: 0.691; 95% CI: 0.646–0.740), respectively.ConclusionChanges in RPA status were associated with the risk of hip fracture; consistent RPA was related to the maximum benefit for risk reduction in the general population.

Association between CVDs and initiation and adherence to statin treatment in patients with newly diagnosed hypercholesterolaemia: a retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the association between incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and initiation and adherence to statin treatment for primary prevention of CVD in patients with newly diagnosed hypercholesterolaemia.DesignA population-based retrospective cohort...

Association Between Statin Medication and Asthma/Asthma Exacerbation in a National Health Screening Cohort

Statins, which are a type of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA inhibitor, have multiple therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Despite positive preclinical data on statin use in patients with asthma, clinical trials and epidemiological studies have yielded conflicting results. To evaluate the association between statin use and an asthma diagnosis in all participants and the effects of statins on asthma-related outcomes among patients with asthma using a national health screening cohort. Patients with asthma and control participants matched for age group, sex, income, and region of residence were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort data. This case-control study comprised 88,780 people with asthma and the same number of control participants. Asthma exacerbation (AE) was defined as an emergency department visit, a history of hospitalization due to asthma, or the use of systemic steroids for 2 weeks. Conditional and unconditional logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of the previous use of statins on an asthma diagnosis or AE after adjusting for multiple covariates. A significant association between a statin prescription and an asthma diagnosis was not observed in this cohort (adjusted odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.98-1.03; P= .633 for 1 year of statin prescription). Among the patients with asthma, 16.54% (n= 14,687) were categorized into the AE group and the others (n= 74,093) were categorized into the no AE group. A statin prescription was associated with fewer AEs in patients with asthma (adjusted odds ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84-0.93; P < .001 for 1 year of statin prescription). Statin use was associated with a reduced risk of asthma-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and systemic steroid use in patients with asthma in this cohort study.

Increasing serum gamma-glutamyltransferase level accompanies a rapid increase in the incidence of endometrial cancer in Korea: A nationwide cohort study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the association of serum GGT levels with the risk of developing endometrial cancer. Women's obesity and menopausal status were also taken into account in our analysis. MethodsWe used a nationwide cohort to examine the association between serum GGT levels and endometrial cancer development in Korean women. Data were retrieved from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) healthcare system. Women aged over 19 years who participated in the Korea National Health Screening Examination in 2009 and were not diagnosed with endometrial cancer 1-year post-examination were included in our study (n = 2,736,588). ResultsObese (BMI, ≥25 kg/m2) women with increased GGT levels were at high risk of endometrial cancer (HR = 1.415, 95% CI: 1.236–1.621). Interestingly, in pre-menopausal women, high GGT level (Q4) was associated with the increased endometrial cancer risk only for obese women (HR = 1.482, 95% CI: 1.205–1.821). In post-menopausal women, only a high GGT level (Q4) was also associated with the increased cancer risk for obese women (HR = 1.313, 95% CI: 1.096–1.573). We observed a significant association between high GGT levels and increased risk of endometrial cancer in pre-menopausal women with abdominal obesity (WC, ≥85 cm) (HR = 1.647, 95% CI: 1.218–2.227). ConclusionsIncreased GGT level is an independent risk factor of endometrial cancer, especially for post-menopausal women and obese pre-menopausal women. These results may suggest that serum GGT levels might be useful in the risk stratification of endometrial cancer. Adopting a healthy lifestyle for lowering serum GGT level is warranted, especially for women with a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer.

Association between Previous Statin Use and Alzheimer's Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort.

A number of studies report the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in patients taking statins, but the results are inconsistent. (1) Background: The present study investigated the cross-sectional association between previous statin use and the risk of AD development in Korean residents. (2) Methods: We used the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort; 17,172 AD patients were matched by age, gender, income, and region of residence with 68,688 control participants at a ratio of 1:4. We used a multiple conditional logistic regression model to analyse the association between the number of days of statin use and AD occurrence. Further analyses were performed to identify whether this association is maintained for different ages, genders, socioeconomic status groups, and covariates. (3) Results: The odds ratio, which was adjusted for potential confounders, for the days of statin use per year in the AD group compared to the control group was 0.95 (95% confidence interval = 0.92–0.98; p = 0.003). The number of days of statin use in the AD group was significantly smaller in the subgroups of non-smokers and individuals with normal weight, alcohol consumption less than once a week, total cholesterol level below 200 mg/dL, systolic blood pressure below 140, diastolic blood pressure below 90, and fasting blood glucose below 100 mg/dL. (4) Conclusions: Our results suggest that statin use prevents the occurrence of AD. The effects of statin use in preventing AD may be greater in individuals at relatively low risk.

Changes in Metabolic Syndrome Status and Breast Cancer Risk: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

To our knowledge, no studies have yet looked at how the risk of developing breast cancer (BC) varies with changes in metabolic syndrome (MetS) status. This study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MetS and subsequent BC occurrence. We enrolled 930,055 postmenopausal women aged 40-74 years who participated in a biennial National Health Screening Program in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012. Participants were categorized into four groups according to change in MetS status during the two-year interval screening: sustained non-MetS, transition to MetS, transition to non-MetS, and sustained MetS. We calculated multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for BC incidence using the Cox proportional hazards models. At baseline, MetS was associated with a significantly increased risk of BC (aHR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.17) and so were all of its components. The risk of BC increased as the number of the components increased (aHR 1.46, 95% CI 1.26-1.61 for women with all five components). Compared to the sustained non-MetS group, the aHR (95% CI) for BC was 1.11 (1.04-1.19) in the transition to MetS group, 1.05 (0.96-1.14) in the transition to non-MetS group, and 1.18 (1.12-1.25) in the sustained MetS group. Significantly increased BC risk was observed in the sustained MetS and transition to MetS groups. These findings are clinically meaningful in that efforts to recover from MetS may lead to reduced risk of BC.

Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Based Diabetes Prediction System Using a Nationwide Population-Based Cohort.

BackgroundPreviously developed prediction models for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have limited performance. We developed a deep learning (DL) based model using a cohort representative of the Korean population.MethodsThis study was conducted on the basis of the National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening (NHIS-HEALS) cohort of Korea. Overall, 335,302 subjects without T2DM at baseline were included. We developed the model based on 80% of the subjects, and verified the power in the remainder. Predictive models for T2DM were constructed using the recurrent neural network long short-term memory (RNN-LSTM) network and the Cox longitudinal summary model. The performance of both models over a 10-year period was compared using a time dependent area under the curve.ResultsDuring a mean follow-up of 10.4±1.7 years, the mean frequency of periodic health check-ups was 2.9±1.0 per subject. During the observation period, T2DM was newly observed in 8.7% of the subjects. The annual performance of the model created using the RNN-LSTM network was superior to that of the Cox model, and the risk factors for T2DM, derived using the two models were similar; however, certain results differed.ConclusionThe DL-based T2DM prediction model, constructed using a cohort representative of the population, performs better than the conventional model. After pilot tests, this model will be provided to all Korean national health screening recipients in the future.

Effect of body mass index and abdominal obesity on mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention: a nationwide, population-based study.

Background/AimsWe investigated the impact of obesity on the clinical outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).MethodsWe included South Koreans aged > 20 years who underwent the Korean National Health Screening assessment between 2009 and 2012. Obesity was defined using the body mass index (BMI), according to the World Health Organization’s recommendations. Abdominal obesity was defined using the waist circumference (WC), as defined by the Korean Society for Obesity. The odds and hazard ratios in all-cause mortality were calculated after adjustment for multiple covariates. Patients were followed up to the end of 2017.ResultsAmong 130,490 subjects who underwent PCI, the mean age negatively correlated with BMI. WC, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels correlated with the increased BMI. The mortality rates were higher in the lower BMI and WC groups than the higher BMI and WC groups. The non-obese with abdominal obesity group showed a mortality rate of 2.11 per 1,000 person-years. Obese with no abdominal obesity group had the lowest mortality rate (0.88 per 1,000 person-years). The mortality showed U-shaped curve with a cut-off value of 29 in case of BMI and 78 cm of WC.ConclusionsThe mortality showed U-shaped curve and the cut-off value of lowest mortality was 29 in case of BMI and 78 cm of WC. The abdominal obesity may be associated with poor prognosis in Korean patients who underwent PCI.

Feasibility of implementing a national lung cancer screening program: Interim results from the Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project (K-LUCAS).

BackgroundLung cancer screening conducted in high-risk group using low-dose computer tomography (LDCT) has been reported as an effective method to reduce lung cancer mortality in two large randomized-control trials. However, the effectiveness is uncertain when lung cancer screening is expanded to a nationwide population-based program.MethodsThe Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project (K-LUCAS) is a single-arm cohort study that was conducted from February 2017 to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an organized national lung cancer screening program in Korea. High-risk population aged 55–74 years with more than a 30-pack-year smoking history was recruited. Smoking history was obtained from administering questionnaires at national health screening programs or public smoking cessation programs which are already established programs in Korea. The screening results were reported using the Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS), suggested by the American College of Radiology. K-LUCAS was performed by a network-based diagnosis supporting system using a computer-aided detection (CAD) program to maintain screening quality. Current smokers were provided with mandatory smoking counseling.ResultsAmong 71,829 participants aged 50 years or older in the national health screening program, 5,975 (8.3%) were eligible for lung cancer screening. Among them, 1,062 (17.8%) refused to participate in K-LUCAS. Additionally, 779 participants were recruited in the smoking cessation program. Thus, a total of 5,692 eligible high-risk participants were recruited in this study. Among them, 865 (15.2%) had positive screening results, which requires a further examination; 529 (9.3%) had Lung-RADS category 3 (indeterminate), and 336 (5.9%) had category 4 (suspicious of lung cancer); 42 (0.7%) had confirmed lung cancer. Approximately 66.7% had early-stage lung cancer: 24 (57.1%), stage I and 4 (9.5%), stage II. Six (1.1%) patients developed complications at the time of diagnosis, including one death. The anxiety level related to cancer screening was low. Participation in screening encouraged motivation to quit smoking.ConclusionsK-LUCAS provided promising evidence supporting the implementation of a national lung cancer screening program to detect early stage lung cancer and promote smoking cessation for participants in Asian population.

Risk Factors of Undiagnosed Diabetes Mellitus among Korean Adults: A National Cross-Sectional Study Using the KNHANES Data.

In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the baseline risk factors of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with undiagnosed DM (UDM). We utilized the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2017 data. Data regarding the participants’ demographic characteristics, health status, health determinants, healthcare accessibility, and laboratory tests were gathered to explore the differences between the DM, UDM, and without-DM groups. Among the 64,759 individuals who participated in the KNHANES 2010–2017, 32,611 individuals aged ≥20 years with fasting plasma glucose levels of <100 or ≥126 mg/dL were selected. The odds ratios (ORs) regarding family history of diabetes and the performance of national health and cancer screening tests were lower in the UDM group than in the DM group (adjusted OR: 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43, 0.66; adjusted OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.89; adjusted OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.85). The ORs of hypertension and obesity were higher in the UDM group than in the DM group (adjusted OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.64; adjusted OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.37, 2.36, respectively). Patients with UDM were more likely to be exposed to DM-related risk factors than those with and without DM. Public health interventions to prevent UDM development are necessary.

Severe Periodontal Disease Increases Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke: A 10-Year Retrospective Follow-up Study

This study aimed to evaluate the causal association of periodontal disease with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke, after controlling for various confounders among the Korean population. A retrospective cohort study using the National Health Insurance Service–National Health Screening Cohort (NHIS-HEALS) was performed during 2002 to 2015 (baseline: 2002 to 2005; follow-up: 2006 to 2015) in the Republic of Korea. A total of 298,128 participants with no history of AMI or stroke were followed up for 10 y. AMI and stroke were defined by a diagnosis using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) guideline. Periodontal condition was classified into 3 groups (healthy, moderate periodontal disease, severe periodontal disease [SPD]) using the combination of ICD codes, treatment codes in the NHIS, and recommendation of periodontal treatment by the dentists in HEALS. Various confounders, such as sociodemographic, behavioral, systemic, and oral health factors, including hypercholesterolemia, were considered. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was applied to estimate adjusted incidence rate ratio (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]) based on person-year of periodontal condition for AMI, stroke, and nonfatal major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) encompassing AMI or stroke controlling for various confounders. Stratified analyses according to age group, sex, and toothbrushing frequency were also performed. After controlling for various confounders, participants with SPD compared with non-SPD participants had a higher incidence by 11% for AMI (aHR, 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.20), by 3.5% for stroke (aHR, 1.035; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07), and by 4.1% for MACEs (aHR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07). The association of SPD with AMI and MACE was highly modified in females and adults aged 40 to 59 y. In the total Korean population, SPD increased total AMI events by 4.3%, total stroke events by 1.4%, and the total MACEs by 1.6%. Our data confirmed that SPD was causally associated with the new events of AMI and stroke.

Influences of pregravid liver enzyme levels on the development of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Elevated liver enzymes are associated with later development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to assess the association between prepregnancy liver enzyme levels and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Data from a total of 236,109 women who participated in the National Health Screening Examination between 2011 and 2015 was analysed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus in relation to pregravid liver enzyme levels. Subgroup analyses were performed according to pregravid obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Approximately 5.7% and 1.1% of women developed gestational diabetes mellitus with and without insulin treatment requirement respectively. Pregravid gamma-glutamyl transferase and alanine aminotransferase levels with greater than or equal to the 4th quartile were associated with significantly increased risks of gestational diabetes mellitus requiring insulin treatment in women with obesity and with MetS, (odds ratios [ORs] with 6.228 and 9.505, respectively, P<.001 for both). In women without obesity and without MetS, the risks of gestational diabetes mellitus requiring insulin treatment were also significant (ORs with 2.837 and 3.029, respectively, P<.001 for both). The elevated pregravid liver enzymes were associated with gestational diabetes mellitus without insulin treatment requirement, but minimally. The elevated pregravid liver enzyme levels were significantly associated with the subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, especially gestational diabetes mellitus requiring insulin treatment, not only in women with obesity or MetS, but also in women without obesity or MetS.

In utero exposure to ritodrine during pregnancy and risk of autism in their offspring until 8\xa0years of age

Beta-2 adrenergic receptor (B2AR) agonists, used as asthma treatments and tocolytics during pregnancy, have recently been reported to be associated with autism in their offspring. However, the particular link between autism and ritodrine, a common type of B2AR agonist used solely as tocolytics, has never been substantiated with any nationwide database. Thus, we aimed to examine the association between in utero exposure of ritodrine and the risk of autism in their offspring using a national database. This population-based cohort study was conducted by merging the Korea National Health Insurance claims database and National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children database. These databases included all women who had delivered singleton between January 2007 and December 2008 in Korea. Out of the total 770,016 mothers, 30,959 (4.02%) were exposed to ritodrine during pregnancy, and 5583 (0.73%) of their children were identified as having autism, defined until 8 years of age. According to our analysis, the overall cumulative incidence of autism up to 8 years was 1.37% in ritodrine exposure group and 0.70% in ritodrine non-exposure group (p < 0.05, log-rank test). By Cox proportional hazard analysis, use of ritodrine in preterm birth was associated with significantly higher hazard of autism [adjusted hazard ratio: 1.23, 95% CI 1.04–1.47], after adjusting for confounding variables including maternal age, parity, cesarean section, preterm labor, steroid use, birth weight, gender, and preeclampsia. Thus, in utero exposure to ritodrine was associated with an increased risk of autism in their offspring.

Cohort profile: National Investigation of Birth Cohort in Korea study 2008 (NICKs-2008).

BackgroundAn adequate large-scale pediatric cohort based on nationwide administrative data is lacking in Korea.PurposeThis study established the National Investigation of Birth Cohort in Korea study 2008 (NICKs-2008) based on data from a nationwide population-based health screening program and data on healthcare utilization for children.MethodsThe NICKs-2008 study consisted of the Korean National Health Insurance System (NHIS) and the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSPIC) databases comprising children born in 2008 (n=469,248) and 2009 (n=448,459) in the Republic of Korea. The NHIS database contains data on age, sex, residential area, income, healthcare utilization (International Classification of Diseases-10 codes, procedure codes, and drug classification codes), and healthcare providers. The NHSPIC consists of 7 screening rounds. These screening sessions comprised physical examination, developmental screening (rounds 2–7), a general health questionnaire, and age-specific anticipatory guidance.ResultsDuring the 10-year follow-up, 2,718 children (0.3%) died, including more boys than girls (hazard ratio, 1.145; P<0.001). A total of 848,048 children participated in at least 1 of the 7 rounds of the NHSPIC, while 96,046 participated in all 7 screening programs. A total of 823 infants (0.1%) weighed less than 1,000 g, 3,177 (0.4%) weighed 1,000–1,499 g, 37,166 (4.4%) weighed 1,500–2,499 g, 773,081 (91.4%) weighed 2,500–4,000 g, and 32,016 (5.1%) weighed over 4,000 g. There were 23,404 premature babies (5.5%) in 2008 compared to 23,368 (5.6%) in 2009. The developmental screening test indicated appropriate development in 95%–98% of children, follow-up requirements for 1%–4% of children, and recommendations for further evaluation for 1% of children.ConclusionThe NICKs-2008, which integrates data from the NHIS and NHSPIC databases, can be used to analyze disease onset prior to hospitalization based on information such as lifestyle, eating habits, and risk factors.

Epidemiology of Macrosomia in Korea: Growth and Development.

BackgroundMacrosomia, as an infant with birth weight over 4 kg, can have several perinatal, and neonatal complications. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of macrosomia in Korea and to identify the growth and developmental outcomes and other neonatal complications.MethodsIn total, 397,203 infants who were born in 2013 with birth weight ≥ 2.5 kg and who underwent infant health check-up between their 1st and 7th visit were included from the National Health Insurance Service database. The information was obtained by the International Classification of Diseases-10 codes or self-reported questionnaires in the National Health Screening Program.ResultsThe distribution of infants by birth weight was as follows: 384,181 (97%) infants in the 2.5–3.99 kg (reference) group, 12,016 (3%) infants in the 4.0–4.49 kg group, 772 (0.2%) infants in the 4.5–4.99 kg group, and 78 (0.02%) infants in the ≥ 5 kg group. Macrosomia showed significantly higher incidence of sepsis, male sex, and mothers with GDM and birth injury. There was a significant difference in weight, height, and head circumference according to age, birth weight group, and combination of age and birth weight, respectively (P < 0.001). The number of infants with the weight above the 90th percentile in macrosomia at each health check-up showed higher incidence than in reference group. The mean body mass index significantly differed among the groups, as 50.6 in infants with 2.5–3.99 kg of birth weight, 63.5 with 4.0–4.49 kg, 71.0 with 4.5–4.99 kg, and 73.1 with ≥ 5 kg. There was a significant difference in the incidence of poor developmental results between infants with macrosomia and the reference group at 24, 36 and 48 month of age.ConclusionMacrosomia was significantly associated with the risk of sepsis, birth injury, obesity and developmental problem especially in a boy born from mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus. Careful monitoring and proper strategies for monitoring growth and development are needed.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Hypertension Screening in the Korea National Health Screening Program.

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of routine hypertension (HTN) screening as a part of the national health-screening program. Two aspects of cost-effectiveness were examined using the national general health-screening program. First, the cost of case-finding was computed for 5-year interval age groups. Second, the cost per quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained were estimated for 12 different scenarios varying examination starting age, pattern and interval compared with no screening. The cost of finding one new HTN case was low as 26,284 Korean won (KRW) (approximately [approx.] United States Dollar 21) for 70-79 years old to as high as 70,552 KRW for 40-44 years old. Compared with no screening, the costs per QALYs of the following screening strategies were below the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio threshold (approx. KRW 30.5 million): first screening examination with the second confirmatory examination in adults aged ≥40 years every 3 years (KRW 10.2 million), every 2 years (KRW 13.2 million), or annually (KRW 19.9 million). One-way sensitivity analyses suggest that the results were mostly influenced by the sensitivity of the first screening examination, followed by the examination rate of the second confirmatory examination. HTN screening as a part of routine national health screening program was cost-effective for adults aged 40 years or older. The most cost-effective HTN screening strategy was the first screening examination with the second confirmatory examination in aged 40 years or older every 3 years.

Reassessment of Inclusion Criteria in the 2013 the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association Cholesterol Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.

Background and PurposeThe American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC-AHA) have released new guidelines and expanded indications for statin treatment. We aimed to reveal the clinical efficacy of each indication in the guidelines using a large-scale national cohort.MethodsWe used National Health Screening Cohort data to determine the proportions of participants for whom statin therapy would be recommended using the different guidelines. We assessed the cumulative incidence rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) using the Cox proportional-hazards model.ResultsUnder the 2013 ACC-AHA guidelines, 111,600 participants were additionally eligible to receive statins, compared with 50,023 participants according to the Third Adult Treatment Panel (ATP-III). Most of the additional statin-eligible participants in the ACC-AHA guidelines were indicated by their 10-year cardiovascular disease risk. The increase in statineligible participants in the ACC-AHA guidelines mainly involved elderly patients aged 60–75 years. Among participants not requiring statin, participants who were eligible for a statin under the ACC-AHA guidelines had a significantly higher hazard ratio of MACE when compared with those eligible under the ATP-III guidelines. Among the not-recommended groups, patients with diabetes and low-density lipoprotein <70 mg/dL constituted the group with the highest risk of MACE.ConclusionsThe 2013 ACC-AHA guidelines increase the number of statin-eligible participants, especially among the elderly. These guidelines provide a stronger recommendation for statins to high-risk groups, but it remains necessary to consider the characteristics of the population in the risk equation. In addition, the aggressive use of statin in diabetes patients and further studies of older subjects are needed.