Endocrinology and Metabolism

Sang-Ah Chang

2 Articles

Diabetes, obesity and metabolism Big Data Articles (National Health Insurance Service Database)
Long-Term Cumulative Exposure to High γ-Glutamyl Transferase Levels and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study: Han-Sang Baek, Bongseong Kim, Seung-Hwan Lee, Dong-Jun Lim, Hyuk-Sang Kwon, Sang-Ah Chang, Kyungdo Han, Jae-Seung Yun; Endocrinol Metab. 2023;38(6):770-781. Published online November 6, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2023.1726

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub: Background
Elevated γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GTP) levels are associated with metabolic syndrome. We investigated the association of cumulative exposure to high γ-GTP with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a large-scale population.
Methods
Using nationally representative data from the Korean National Health Insurance system, 1,640,127 people with 4 years of consecutive γ-GTP measurements from 2009 to 2012 were included and followed up until the end of 2019. For each year of the study period, participants were grouped by the number of exposures to the highest γ-GTP quartile (0–4), and the sum of quartiles (0–12) was defined as cumulative γ-GTP exposure. The hazard ratio for CVD was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model.
Results
During the 6.4 years of follow-up, there were 15,980 cases (0.97%) of myocardial infarction (MI), 14,563 (0.89%) of stroke, 29,717 (1.81%) of CVD, and 25,916 (1.58%) of death. Persistent exposure to high γ-GTP levels was associated with higher risks of MI, stroke, CVD, and death than those without such exposure. The risks of MI, stroke, CVD, and mortality increased in a dose-dependent manner according to total cumulative γ-GTP (all P for trend <0.0001). Subjects younger than 65 years, with a body mass index <25 kg/m², and without hypertension or fatty liver showed a stronger relationship between cumulative γ-GTP and the incidence of MI, CVD, and death.
Conclusion
Cumulative γ-GTP elevation is associated with CVD. γ-GTP could be more widely used as an early marker of CVD risk, especially in individuals without traditional CVD risk factors.

Thyroid
Quality of Life of Survivors of Thyroid Cancer Is Not Inferior to That in Subjects without Cancer: Long-Term after Over 5 Years: Jeongmin Lee, Youn-Ju Lee, Dong-Jun Lim, Jung-Min Lee, Sang-Ah Chang, Min-Hee Kim; Endocrinol Metab. 2022;37(4):664-673. Published online August 29, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2022.1499

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub

Background
Patients with thyroid cancer undergo less extensive surgery and additional therapies compared to those with other cancers. We aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) between patients with thyroid cancer and healthy subjects using representative data from Korea. Differences in QoL of thyroid cancer survivors according to the duration after cancer diagnosis was also evaluated.
Methods
This population-based cohort study included 50,278 subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2007 and 2017. QoL was compared between patients with thyroid cancer and healthy subjects using self-reported data from the EuroQoL (EQ)-5 dimension (5D) and EQ-visual analog scale (VAS). Propensity score matching was used to match thyroid cancer survivors to healthy subjects (1:5 matching).
Results
Linear regression with univariate analysis showed that the presence of thyroid cancer was positively correlated with better EQ-5D index scores (β-coefficient=0.010, p=0.046). After adjusting for multiple covariables, statistical significance was maintained. EQ-VAS fails to demonstrate any significant correlation. Among the EQ-5D categories, patients with thyroid cancer showed better self-care than healthy subjects. Thyroid cancer duration did not correlate with the EQ-5D index score. In subgroup analyses, compared to patients with thyroid cancer duration of <5 years, no significant difference was observed in the correlation between the EQ-5D index score and survival duration in those with thyroid cancer duration of 5 to 9 years and ≥10 years.
Conclusion
Using a large-scale nationwide population-based database, our study demonstrated better QoL, especially in terms of self-care, among thyroid cancer survivors than among healthy subjects without cancer.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Quality of Life Considerations in Patients Treated for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Jie Liu
Clinical Thyroidology.2023; 35(4): 160. CrossRef
The psychosocial impact of thyroid cancer
Parker Haymart, Nina Jackson Levin, Megan R. Haymart
Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity.2023; 30(5): 252. CrossRef
Longitudinal Changes in Quality of Life Before and After Thyroidectomy in Patients With Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Byung Hun Kim, Soo Rack Ryu, Jin Won Lee, Chang Myeon Song, Yong Bae Ji, Seok Hyun Cho, Seung Hwan Lee, Kyung Tae
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.2023;[Epub] CrossRef

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