Liver Disease and Other Systemic Diseases
Liver Disease and Other Systemic Diseases
Examine the association of chronic liver diseases (including hepatitis B, hepatitis C,
 alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma) with
 other systemic diseases by retrospectively analyzing the data from the Hospital Database of
 Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation.
The global population is growing older over the next several decades. An essential component
 to keep people healthy, even with aging, is to prevent chronic disease progression and reduce
 associated complications. About 80% of older adults have one chronic condition, and 50% have
 at least two chronic disorders. Efforts to identify strategies to prevent or reduce the risk
 of chronic diseases and injuries and to widely apply effective interventions must be pursued.
 Because the liver is the largest solid organ in the human body with multiple functions,
 including nutrition, metabolism, proteins and biochemicals synthesis, and detoxification, its
 function is vital for the homeostasis of our body. The impairment of liver function may cause
 dysfunction or even shut down other systems in our body. Therefore, a better understanding of
 the pathogenesis of the liver disorder is not only a key issue in medical science, but it may
 also affect the general health and diseases of other body systems in a variety of ways.
 Finally, causing significant public health and economic losses globally. However, the impact
 and interactions of liver disorders on the progression, treatments, and prognosis of other
 systemic disorders, or vice versa, remain largely unknown. Recent studies have demonstrated
 the interactions between diabetes mellitus and liver diseases, and implying a possible
 deteriorating effect of diabetes on liver disease progression, treatment outcomes, and
 hepatic carcinogenesis. These lines of evidence not only verify the need for a better
 understanding of the interactions between liver and other disorders, but also justify a more
 extensive exploration of the interactions between liver diseases and other systemic
 disorders.

 In this study, the investigators aim to examine the association of chronic liver diseases
 (including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis
 and hepatocellular carcinoma) with other systemic diseases by retrospectively analyzing the
 data from the Hospital Database of Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation. The investigators
 will examine the impacts of different systemic diseases on the disease progression and
 prognosis of Taiwanese patients with liver diseases and vice versa. Moreover, the
 investigators will also examine the different therapeutic strategies (including western,
 traditional Chinese medical, surgical or varied treatments) used for the treatments of liver
 diseases or systemic diseases, and their effects on the disease progression, long-term
 outcomes and prognosis of patients with chronic liver diseases or other systemic diseases in
 Taiwan.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Individuals who visited the gastroenterology clinics of the Tzu Chi Hospitals,
 Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Age younger than 18 or older than 99 years