2.1. Data Source
DISEASES
The study used the Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database 2005 (LGTD 2005) for a nationwide, population-based cohort analysis. The dataset contained all claims data from a random sample of 2,000,000 from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. In LGTD 2005, in order to protect personal privacy, scrambled, anonymous identification numbers were used, and detailed medical information related to traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine was recorded, such as demographic characteristics, medical visits, doctor’s diagnosis, prescription drugs, surgical procedures, and medical expenditure from 2000 to 2018. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM) was used for the diagnosis codes. The Institutional Review Board of the China Medical University in central Taiwan (CMUH110-REC1-038(CR-1)) approved this study.