Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between nontyphoidal salmonellosis (NTS) and new-onset retinal diseases.

Methods: We conducted a 13-year nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study to examine the association between the history of NTS and risk of retinal diseases by using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) of Taiwan. The NTS cohort included 636 patients with newly diagnosed NTS who were older than 30 years old and recruited between 2000 and 2012. Each patient was propensity score matching with 1:4 person without NTS (N=2544) from the LHID. To determine the occurrence of retinal diseases, the study population was followed up until the end of 2013. Cumulative incidence, hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated after adjusting for age, gender, and medical comorbidities, Cox regression was adopted to assess hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with the unexposed group as reference.

Results: The adjusted HR for newly diagnosed retinal diseases in the NTS cohort was 1.15 (95% CI= 1.05 to 1.25), compared with the non- NTS cohort. Stratified subgroup analysis revealed that the HRs of retinal diseases were 1.64 (95% CI = 1.04 to 2.58) for NTS among aged older than 61 years old. Risk of the retinal diseases was also significant in patients with hypertension (aHR= 2.10, 95% C.I. =1.38, 3.2), diabetes mellitus (aHR= 2.05, 95%C.I. = 1.15, 3.65), and hyperlipidemia (aHR= 2.05, 95% C.I. =1.22, 3.45).

Conclusions: Old (aged older than 61 years old) patients with NTS had an increased 64% risk of retinal diseases than those without NTS.