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. 2016 Sep;9(5):671-8.
doi: 10.1177/1756283X16650156. Epub 2016 May 26.

Use of proton-pump inhibitors among adults: a Danish nationwide drug utilization study

Anton Pottegård  1 , Anne Broe  1 , Jesper Hallas  2 , Ove B Schaffalitzky de Muckadell  3 , Annmarie T Lassen  4 , Anders B Lødrup  5
Affiliations

Use of proton-pump inhibitors among adults: a Danish nationwide drug utilization study

Anton Pottegård et al. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) has increased over the last decade. The objective of this study was to provide detailed utilization data on PPI use over time, with special emphasis on duration of PPI use and concomitant use of ulcerogenic drugs.

Methods: Using the nationwide Danish Prescription Registry, we identified all Danish adults filling a PPI between 2002 and 2014. Using descriptive statistics, we reported (i) the distribution of use between single PPI entities, (ii) the development in incidence and prevalence of use over time, (iii) measures of duration and intensity of treatment, and (iv) the prevalence of use of ulcerogenic drugs among users of PPIs.

Results: We identified 1,617,614 adults using PPIs during the study period. The prevalence of PPI use increased fourfold during the study period to 7.4% of all Danish adults in 2014. PPI use showed strong age dependency, reaching more than 20% among those aged at least 80 years. The proportion of users maintaining treatment over time increased with increasing age, with less than10% of those aged 18-39 years using PPIs 2 years after their first prescription, compared with about 40% among those aged at least 80 years. The overall use of ulcerogenic drugs among PPI users increased moderately, from 35% of users of PPI in 2002 to 45% in 2014.

Conclusions: The use of PPIs is extensive and increasing rapidly, especially among the elderly.

Keywords: general population; incidence; prescription registry; prevalence; proton-pump inhibitor; ulcerogenic drugs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Total amount of proton-pump inhibitor used per calendar year during the study period, measuered as the total amont of dispensed defined daily doses. DDDs, defined daily doses.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
(A) Number of users (point-prevalence proportion), and (B) number of new users (incidence rate) of proton-pump inhibitor use among adults (⩾18 years) in Denmark from 2002 to 2014.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Age and sex-specific prevalence proportion of proton-pump inhibitor drug use by end of 2014.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Duration of proton-pump inhibitor therapy, calculated as the proportion of patients covered, specified by age, up to 2 years following each individual’s first prescription.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Doses used over time in the first 5 years among individuals filling a minimum of one prescription for each year for at least 5 years following their first prescription.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; inhib, inhibitor. Concomitant use of ulcerogenic drugs or drugs with increased risk of bleeding peptic ulcer among users of proton-pump inhibitors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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