Estimating the incidence rate ratio of common cold among patients with non-apnea sleep disorders: a retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT

The purpose was to explore the potential effects of nonapnea sleep disorders (NSDs) and hypnotic use on the incidence of common cold. This study adapted population-based retrospective cohort study designed. We used the data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 1998 and 2011. In total, 59,476 patients with NSDs were included in the study cohort, and the reference cohort comprised 59,476 propensity score-matched patients. We conducted a Poisson regression analysis to assess the incidence of common cold. The overall incidence of common cold was significantly higher than that in the reference cohort. Compared with the patients of the reference cohort without hypnotic use, those of the NSDs cohort with benzodiazepines and zolpidem use had higher incidence of common cold. In conclusion, study cohort had a higher incidence of developing common cold, and particularly pronounced in NSDs with hypnotic use.

KEYWORDS:

• Benzodiazepines
• cohort study
• common cold
• infection diseases
• non-apnea sleep disorders
• zolpidem

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Taiwan National Health Research Institute and Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, for providing the insurance claims data. The Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, was supported in part by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare Clinical Trial Center ; China Medical University Hospital, Academia Sinica Taiwan Biobank, and Stroke Biosignature Project ; Taiwan Clinical Trial Consortium for Stroke; Tseng-Lien Lin Foundation, Taichung, Taiwan; Taiwan Brain Disease Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan; Katsuzo and Kiyo Aoshima Memorial Funds, Japan.

Disclosure statement

T.Y. Yang received the funding from China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan [DMR-111-158]. No more potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

C. L. Lin and T.Y. Yang conceived the idea and study design. M. C. Su, C. H. Kao and C. L. Lin analyzed the data. All authors prepared the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare Clinical Trial Center [MOHW106-TDU-B-212-113004 and MOHW110-TDU-B-212-124004]; China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan [DMR-111-158], Taiwan Clinical Trial Consortium for Stroke [MOST 106-2321-B-039-005 and MOST 109-2321-B-039-002]; Tseng-Lien Lin Foundation, Taichung, Taiwan.