Table 1.
Demographics, diagnostics, and treatment prescriptions in H. pylori management between older and younger European populations.
| Older (≥ 60 years) | Younger (18–59 years) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of patients, N (%) | 14,467 (29%) | 34,994 (71%) | |
| Gender, N (%) | |||
| Male | 5365 (37%) | 14,244 (41%) | < 0.05 |
| Female | 9093 (63%) | 20,730 (59%) | < 0.05 |
| Average age (mean ± standard deviation) | 68.1 ± 6.3 | 42.8 ± 10.7 | < 0.05 |
| Main treatment indications, N (%) | |||
| Uninvestigated dyspepsia | 5111 (36%) | 13,248 (38%) | < 0.05 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 2893 (20%) | 5094 (15%) | < 0.05 |
| Main symptoms, N (%) | |||
| Dyspepsia | 10,571 (73%) | 27,070 (77%) | < 0.05 |
| Heartburn | 3831 (26.3%) | 9183 (26.5%) | > 0.05 |
| Concurrent medications, N (%) | 7364 (55%) | 8834 (27%) | < 0.05 |
| Drug allergies, N (%) | 796 (6%) | 1306 (4%) | < 0.05 |
| Penicillin | 650 (4.5%) | 1050 (3%) | < 0.05 |
| Macrolides | 43 (0.3%) | 92 (0.3%) | > 0.05 |
| Fluoroquinolones | 27 (0.2%) | 50 (0.1%) | > 0.05 |
| Main diagnostic methods pre-treatment, N (%) | |||
| Histology | 6840 (47%) | 13,191 (38%) | < 0.05 |
| Rapid urease test | 5463 (38%) | 13,138 (38%) | > 0.05 |
| Urea breath test | 3550 (25%) | 10,702 (31%) | < 0.05 |
| Main diagnostic tests post-treatment, N (%) | |||
| Urea breath test | 9544 (66%) | 21,755 (62%) | < 0.05 |
| Stool antigen test | 1968 (13.6%) | 5401 (15.4%) | < 0.05 |
| Histology | 715 (5%) | 1529 (4%) | < 0.05 |
| Treatment compliance, N (%) | 12,938 (97%) | 31,270 (97%) | > 0.05 |
| First-line prescriptions, N (%) | |||
| Triple-therapy | 4851 (42%) | 12,492 (45%) | < 0.05 |
| Quadruple-therapy | 5182 (45%) | 12,641 (46%) | < 0.05 |
| Second-line prescriptions, N (%) | |||
| Triple-therapy | 788 (43%) | 2134 (45%) | < 0.05 |
| Quadruple-therapy | 956 (52%) | 2393 (51%) | < 0.05 |
| PPI potency in first-line treatment, N (%) | |||
| Low | 5275 (46%) | 12,312 (45%) | > 0.05 |
| Standard | 2726 (24%) | 6831 (25%) | > 0.05 |
| High | 3516 (31%) | 8539 (31%) | > 0.05 |
| PPI potency in second-line treatment, N (%) | |||
| Low | 750 (40%) | 1691 (36%) | < 0.05 |
| Standard | 423 (23%) | 1059 (23%) | > 0.05 |
| High | 705 (38%) | 1983 (42%) | < 0.05 |
| First-line treatment duration, N (%) | |||
| 7 days | 1583 (14%) | 3170 (12%) | < 0.05 |
| 10 days | 5700 (50%) | 13,351 (49%) | < 0.05 |
| 14 days | 4185 (37%) | 11,019 (40%) | < 0.05 |
| Second-line treatment duration, N (%) | |||
| 7 days | 75 (4%) | 197 (4%) | > 0.05 |
| 10 days | 1023 (56%) | 2618 (56%) | > 0.05 |
| 14 days | 744 (40%) | 1881 (40%) | > 0.05 |
| Adverse events | |||
| Overall, N (%) | 3062 (23%) | 8144 (25%) | < 0.05 |
| Treatment cessation due to AEs, % | 1.5% | 1.2% | > 0.05 |
PPI—proton pump inhibitor.
Significant p-values are in bold.