Louis Jacob1, Karel Kostev2. 1. a Faculty of Medicine , University of Paris 5 , Paris , France. 2. b Epidemiology , QuintilesIMS , Frankfurt , Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of pain medication prescriptions in general practices in France, Germany, and the UK. METHODS: This study included all patients aged ≥18 years followed in 2016 in general practitioner practices in France, Germany and the UK. The primary outcome was the prevalence of patients receiving prescriptions for pain medications in France, Germany, and the UK in 2016. The following drugs were included in the analysis: anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products, non-steroids and analgesics including opioids, antimigraine preparations, and other analgesics and antipyretics. Demographic variables included age and gender. RESULTS: This study included 4,270,142 patients. The prevalences of pain medication prescriptions were 57.3% in France, 29.6% in Germany, and 21.7% in the UK. Although this prevalence generally remained consistent between age groups in France (54.3%-60.3%), it increased with age in Germany (18-30 years: 23.8%; >70 years: 35.8%) and in the UK (18-30 years: 9.3%; >70 years: 43.8%). Finally, the prevalence of pain medication prescriptions was higher in women than in men in all three countries. Paracetamol was prescribed to 82.3% and 60.1% of patients receiving pain medication in France and the UK, respectively, whereas ibuprofen was prescribed to 46.5% of individuals in Germany. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pain medication prescriptions was higher in France than in Germany and the UK. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the differences in the prescription patterns between these three European countries.
OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of pain medication prescriptions in general practices in France, Germany, and the UK. METHODS: This study included all patients aged ≥18 years followed in 2016 in general practitioner practices in France, Germany and the UK. The primary outcome was the prevalence of patients receiving prescriptions for pain medications in France, Germany, and the UK in 2016. The following drugs were included in the analysis: anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products, non-steroids and analgesics including opioids, antimigraine preparations, and other analgesics and antipyretics. Demographic variables included age and gender. RESULTS: This study included 4,270,142 patients. The prevalences of pain medication prescriptions were 57.3% in France, 29.6% in Germany, and 21.7% in the UK. Although this prevalence generally remained consistent between age groups in France (54.3%-60.3%), it increased with age in Germany (18-30 years: 23.8%; >70 years: 35.8%) and in the UK (18-30 years: 9.3%; >70 years: 43.8%). Finally, the prevalence of pain medication prescriptions was higher in women than in men in all three countries. Paracetamol was prescribed to 82.3% and 60.1% of patients receiving pain medication in France and the UK, respectively, whereas ibuprofen was prescribed to 46.5% of individuals in Germany. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pain medication prescriptions was higher in France than in Germany and the UK. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the differences in the prescription patterns between these three European countries.
Entities:
Keywords:
France; Germany; Pain medication; prevalence; the UK
Authors: Thi Ngoc Mai Nguyen; Dana Clarissa Laetsch; Li-Ju Chen; Walter Emil Haefeli; Andreas D Meid; Hermann Brenner; Ben Schöttker Journal: Eur J Clin Pharmacol Date: 2020-07-10 Impact factor: 2.953
Authors: Che Suraya Zin; Nor Ilyani Nazar; Norny Syafinaz Rahman; Nor Elina Alias; Wan Rohaidah Ahmad; Nurul Sahida Rani; Mary Suma Cardosa; Kim Swan Ng; Felicia Loh Ye Journal: J Pain Res Date: 2018-09-20 Impact factor: 3.133