Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is expected to increase from 7.7% in 2017 to 8.4% in 2045 worldwide. Diabetes complications contribute to morbidity and mortality. To evaluate whether the diabetes complications severity index (DCSI) was associated with increased risks of mortality and hospitalization. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Database (NHID) sample cohort of 1,102,047 patients (2002–2015) in Korea. Diabetes complications were evaluated at 2 years after the initial diagnosis and during the subsequent follow-up period (mean duration 6.56 ± 2.81 years). The type and severity of complications were evaluated on the basis of the International Classification of Disease Ninth (ICD-9) codes used in DCSI with 7 categories and 55 subcategories of complications. The Cox proportional hazard and Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the mortality and hospitalization rates. The incidence and relative risk of diabetes complications as well as the risk of mortality and hospitalization were the main outcome measures. Results: A total of 27,871 patients were finally included and grouped by the number of complications present at 2 years. Four hundred ninety patients (5.37%) died without complications, 659 (7.31%) died with one complication and 1153 (11.85%) died with two or more complications. As DCSI at index date increased, the risk of additional new diabetes complications increased by 26% [relative risk (RR) 1.26, 95% CI 1.25–1.27]. The risks of mortality and hospitalization were linearly related to DCSI [hazard ratio 1.13 (95% CI 1.11–1.16), relative risk 1.04 (95% CI 1.03–1.06)]. Conclusions: Patients with higher incidence and severity of diabetes complications have increased risks of mortality and hospitalization.

Statin therapy is beneficial in reducing cardiovascular events and mortalities in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Yet, there have been concerns of increased risk of diabetes with statin use. This study was aimed to evaluate the association between statins and new onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) utilizing the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service claims database. Among adult patients with preexisting IHD, new statin users and matched nonstatin users were identified on a 1:1 ratio using proportionate stratified random sampling by sex and age. They were subsequently propensity score matched further with age and comorbidities to reduce the selection bias. Overall incidence rates, cumulative rates and hazard ratios (HRs) between statin use and occurrence of NODM were estimated. The subgroup analyses were performed according to sex, age groups, and the individual agents and intensities of statins. A total of 156,360 patients (94,370 in the statin users and 61,990 in the nonstatin users) were included in the analysis. The incidence rates of NODM were 7.8% and 4.8% in the statin users and nonstatin users, respectively. The risk of NODM was higher among statin users (crude HR 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.93–2.10; adjusted HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.63–2.09). Pravastatin had the lowest risk (adjusted HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.32–1.81) while those who were exposed to more than one statin were at the highest risk of NODM (adjusted HR 2.17, 95% CI 1.93–2.37). It has been concluded that all statins are associated with the risk of NODM in patients with IHD, and it is believed that our study would contribute to a better understanding of statin and NODM association by analyzing statin use in the real-world setting. Periodic screening and monitoring for diabetes are warranted during prolonged statin therapy in patients with IHD.

Kwon H, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2012 Mar;27(3):268-273. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.3.268

Kim DS, et al. Healthc Inform Res. 2010 Dec;16(4):231-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.4258/hir.2010.16.4.231

This study aimed to determine the association between statins and the prevention of dementia according to sex differences in elderly patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). We performed a nationwide retrospective cohort study using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database (2007–2015). Among the 264,036 eligible patients aged ≥65 years with IHD, statin users were compared with non–users by propensity score matching at a 1:1 ratio (71,587 in each group). The primary outcome was dementia risk by estimating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Differential risks of dementia were assessed by sex in the subgroups of statin types, exposure duration, and patient age, implying that sex is an influential factor for the link between statin use and dementia incidence. Among seven commonly prescribed statins, rosuvastatin was associated with the greatest preventive effect on dementia incidence, with an adjusted HR of 0.82 (95% CI = 0.78–0.87). In a subgroup analysis organized by sex, the differential risk of dementia incidence was assessed in each statin group, implying that sex is an influential factor for the link between statin and dementia. This study suggests that appropriate statin use considering sex differences may have beneficial effects on the development of dementia.