Background: Antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment is the preferred initial treatment for Graves’ disease (GD) in South Korea, despite higher treatment failure rates than radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy or thyroidectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of treatment failure associated with the primary modalities for GD treatment in real-world practice. Methods: We included 452,001 patients diagnosed with GD between 2004 and 2020 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database. Treatment failure was defined as switching from ATD, RAI, or thyroidectomy treatments, and for ATD specifically, inability to discontinue medication for over 2 years. Results: Mean age was 46.2 years, with females constituting 70.8%. Initial treatments for GD included ATDs (98.0%), thyroidectomy (1.3%), and RAI (0.7%), with a noted increment in ATD application from 96.2% in 2004 to 98.8% in 2020. During a median follow- up of 8.5 years, the treatment failure rates were 58.5% for ATDs, 21.3% for RAI, and 2.1% for thyroidectomy. Multivariate analysis indicated that the hazard ratio for treatment failure with ATD was 2.81 times higher than RAI. RAI treatments ≥10 mCi had 37% lower failure rates than doses <10 mCi. Conclusion ATDs are the most commonly used for GD in South Korea, followed by thyroidectomy and RAI. Although the risk of treatment failure for ATD is higher than that of RAI therapy, initial RAI treatment in South Korea is relatively limited compared to that in Western countries. Further studies are required to evaluate the cause of low initial RAI treatment rates in South Korea.

Background: Antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment is the preferred initial treatment for Graves’ disease (GD) in South Korea, despite higher treatment failure rates than radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy or thyroidectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of treatment failure associated with the primary modalities for GD treatment in real-world practice. Methods: We included 452,001 patients diagnosed with GD between 2004 and 2020 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database. Treatment failure was defined as switching from ATD, RAI, or thyroidectomy treatments, and for ATD specifically, inability to discontinue medication for over 2 years. Results: Mean age was 46.2 years, with females constituting 70.8%. Initial treatments for GD included ATDs (98.0%), thyroidectomy (1.3%), and RAI (0.7%), with a noted increment in ATD application from 96.2% in 2004 to 98.8% in 2020. During a median follow- up of 8.5 years, the treatment failure rates were 58.5% for ATDs, 21.3% for RAI, and 2.1% for thyroidectomy. Multivariate analysis indicated that the hazard ratio for treatment failure with ATD was 2.81 times higher than RAI. RAI treatments ≥10 mCi had 37% lower failure rates than doses <10 mCi. Conclusion ATDs are the most commonly used for GD in South Korea, followed by thyroidectomy and RAI. Although the risk of treatment failure for ATD is higher than that of RAI therapy, initial RAI treatment in South Korea is relatively limited compared to that in Western countries. Further studies are required to evaluate the cause of low initial RAI treatment rates in South Korea.

Background: Antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment is the preferred initial treatment for Graves’ disease (GD) in South Korea, despite higher treatment failure rates than radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy or thyroidectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of treatment failure associated with the primary modalities for GD treatment in real-world practice. Methods: We included 452,001 patients diagnosed with GD between 2004 and 2020 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database. Treatment failure was defined as switching from ATD, RAI, or thyroidectomy treatments, and for ATD specifically, inability to discontinue medication for over 2 years. Results: Mean age was 46.2 years, with females constituting 70.8%. Initial treatments for GD included ATDs (98.0%), thyroidectomy (1.3%), and RAI (0.7%), with a noted increment in ATD application from 96.2% in 2004 to 98.8% in 2020. During a median follow- up of 8.5 years, the treatment failure rates were 58.5% for ATDs, 21.3% for RAI, and 2.1% for thyroidectomy. Multivariate analysis indicated that the hazard ratio for treatment failure with ATD was 2.81 times higher than RAI. RAI treatments ≥10 mCi had 37% lower failure rates than doses <10 mCi. Conclusion ATDs are the most commonly used for GD in South Korea, followed by thyroidectomy and RAI. Although the risk of treatment failure for ATD is higher than that of RAI therapy, initial RAI treatment in South Korea is relatively limited compared to that in Western countries. Further studies are required to evaluate the cause of low initial RAI treatment rates in South Korea.

Background: Antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment is the preferred initial treatment for Graves’ disease (GD) in South Korea, despite higher treatment failure rates than radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy or thyroidectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of treatment failure associated with the primary modalities for GD treatment in real-world practice. Methods: We included 452,001 patients diagnosed with GD between 2004 and 2020 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database. Treatment failure was defined as switching from ATD, RAI, or thyroidectomy treatments, and for ATD specifically, inability to discontinue medication for over 2 years. Results: Mean age was 46.2 years, with females constituting 70.8%. Initial treatments for GD included ATDs (98.0%), thyroidectomy (1.3%), and RAI (0.7%), with a noted increment in ATD application from 96.2% in 2004 to 98.8% in 2020. During a median follow- up of 8.5 years, the treatment failure rates were 58.5% for ATDs, 21.3% for RAI, and 2.1% for thyroidectomy. Multivariate analysis indicated that the hazard ratio for treatment failure with ATD was 2.81 times higher than RAI. RAI treatments ≥10 mCi had 37% lower failure rates than doses <10 mCi. Conclusion ATDs are the most commonly used for GD in South Korea, followed by thyroidectomy and RAI. Although the risk of treatment failure for ATD is higher than that of RAI therapy, initial RAI treatment in South Korea is relatively limited compared to that in Western countries. Further studies are required to evaluate the cause of low initial RAI treatment rates in South Korea.

Background: To evaluate the association of time to reach the target glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level with long-term durable glycemic control and risk of diabetic complications in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In a longitudinal observational cohort, 194 patients with T2DM newly diagnosed between January 2011 and March 2013 were followed up over 6 years. Patients were classified according to the time needed to reach the target HbA1c (<7.0%): <3, 3 to 6 (early achievement group), and ≥6 months (late achievement group). Risks of microvascular complications including diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy as well as macrovascular events including ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease were assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results: During a median follow-up of 6.53 years, 66 microvascular and 14 macrovascular events occurred. Maintenance of durable glycemic control over 6 years was more likely in the early achievement groups than in the late achievement group (34.5%, 30.0%, and 16.1% in <3, 3 to 6, and ≥6 months, respectively, P=0.039). Early target HbA1c achievement was associated with lower risk of composite diabetic complications (adjusted hazard ratio [HR, 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.86 in <3 months group) (adjusted HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.23 to 1.10 in 3 to 6 months group, in reference to ≥6 months group). Similar trends were maintained for risks of microvascular and macrovascular complications, although statistical significance was not reached for macrovascular complications. Conclusion Early target HbA1c achievement was associated with long-term durable glycemic control and reduced risk of diabetic complications in newly diagnosed T2DM.

Background: To evaluate the association of time to reach the target glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level with long-term durable glycemic control and risk of diabetic complications in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In a longitudinal observational cohort, 194 patients with T2DM newly diagnosed between January 2011 and March 2013 were followed up over 6 years. Patients were classified according to the time needed to reach the target HbA1c (<7.0%): <3, 3 to 6 (early achievement group), and ≥6 months (late achievement group). Risks of microvascular complications including diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy as well as macrovascular events including ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease were assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results: During a median follow-up of 6.53 years, 66 microvascular and 14 macrovascular events occurred. Maintenance of durable glycemic control over 6 years was more likely in the early achievement groups than in the late achievement group (34.5%, 30.0%, and 16.1% in <3, 3 to 6, and ≥6 months, respectively, P=0.039). Early target HbA1c achievement was associated with lower risk of composite diabetic complications (adjusted hazard ratio [HR, 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.86 in <3 months group) (adjusted HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.23 to 1.10 in 3 to 6 months group, in reference to ≥6 months group). Similar trends were maintained for risks of microvascular and macrovascular complications, although statistical significance was not reached for macrovascular complications. Conclusion Early target HbA1c achievement was associated with long-term durable glycemic control and reduced risk of diabetic complications in newly diagnosed T2DM.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between statin use and the risk of major osteoporotic fractures in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: A nested case-control study was performed in patients with MetS (≥50 years) who had no history of osteoporotic fracture using the Korean National Health Insurance ServiceHealth Screening Cohort. This study included 17,041 patients diagnosed with new-onset osteoporotic fractures and controls matched in a 1:1 ratio by age, sex, body mass index, cohort entry date, and follow-up duration. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate covariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: During a 4-year follow-up period, the risk of major osteoporotic fractures was significantly reduced by 9% (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85–0.97) in statin users compared with that in non-users. Among subtypes of major osteoporotic fracture, a risk reduction with statin therapy was significant for vertebral fracture (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79–0.94) but not for non-vertebral fracture (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.88–1.06). Longer duration (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96–0.99, per 1-year increase) and higher cumulative dose (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95–0.99, per 365 defined daily doses) of statins were negatively associated with the risk of major osteoporotic fracture. Conclusion This study supports the hypothesis that statin therapy has a beneficial effect on major osteoporotic fractures, especially vertebral fractures, in patients with MetS.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is one of the common gastrointestinal diseases, and its medical management has been developed so much that the incidence of its serious complications, such as bleeding and perforation, are declining significantly. Its prevalence in Korea is not definitely decreased, probably due to increasing proportion of elderly patients and their rising usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirins. This study was conducted to identify the risk factors for development and recurrence of peptic ulcer disease in Korea. METHODS: From 2003 to 2008, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and detailed personal questionnaires were performed for patients who visited Department of Gastroenterology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. In total, 475 PUD patients and 335 non-ulcer dyspepsia patients were included. The results of questionnaires and repeated upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at initial diagnosis time and follow-up periods were analyzed. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis showed that male, H. pylori infection, NSAIDs use and smoking were risk factors for the development of PUD. The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 receptor antagonists has significantly reduced the risk of PUD in patients who had taken NSAIDs and/or aspirins. H. pylori infection was found as the only risk factor for the recurrence of PUD. CONCLUSIONS: For the old patients who are taking drugs, such as NSAIDs and aspirins, concomitant use of PPIs or H2 receptor antagonists should be considered to protect from the development of PUD. H. pylori eradication has been confirmed again to be essential for the treatment of PUD patients infected with H. pylori.
Adult ; Aged ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use ; Aspirin/therapeutic use ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/complications/drug therapy ; Helicobacter pylori ; Histamine H2 Antagonists/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peptic Ulcer/drug therapy/*etiology ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use ; Questionnaires ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Smoking ; Stomach Ulcer/etiology