[Dyspepsia in general practice. A study among users of anti-ulcer agents]

Abstract

Five doctors in general practice sent identical questionnaires to all those of their listed patients who in the previous year had received one or more prescriptions for an ulcer medication in the groups H2 receptor antagonists, acid pump inhibitors, bismuth and sucralfate preparations. The patients were identified by the pharmacy. Two hundred and fifty-nine questionnaires were returned, and the response rate was 83%. Four point nine percent of an adult population of 7160 received in the year 1993 at least one prescription for ulcer medicine, and 0.87% were in constant treatment. On average the doctors met 49 dyspeptic patients per 1000 adults per year. This is far more than found by gastroenterologists in studies of different ways of handling the dyspeptic patient in general practice.