Health resource utilization and drug treatment pattern in a cohort of patients with a first episode of gastroesophageal reflux disease
✍ Scribed by Luis Alberto García Rodríguez; Ana Ruigómez; Mari-Ann Wallander; Saga Johansson; Nils-Olov Stålhammar
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 96 KB
- Volume
- 8
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1053-8569
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Purpose Ð To describe the demographics, comorbidity, and health care resource utilization, as well as treatment patterns among gastroesophageal re¯ux disease (GORD) patients.
Methods Ð We identi®ed a population-based cohort of newly diagnosed GORD patients receiving cimetidine, ranitidine or omeprazole. Our ®nal study population consisted of 1193 patients, who were followed up for 1 year.
Results Ð Mild symptoms were reported in 44% of cases, moderate in 52%, and 4% had a severe episode. Moderate and severe cases were more likely to undergo endoscopy and to be hospitalized for GORD than mild cases. They also had a higher probability of receiving long-term continuous treatment and to start initial treatment with omeprazole rather than with cimetidine or ranitidine. Initial treatment failure was greater among severe cases and in patients started on H 2 -blockers.
Conclusion Ð This study has shown that severity of initial GORD episode is signi®cantly associated with an increased use of health resources, and is the major determinant of initial treatment failure. Patients started on H 2 -blockers also had a greater risk of initial treatment failure compared to patients started on omeprazole.