Table 3.
Characteristics of proton pump inhibitors-users with or without refundable conditions according to the Italian Drug Agency n (%)
| PPI refundable | PPI not refundable | P value | |
| Patients | 4383 | 1939 | |
| Males | 1762 (40.2) | 758 (39.1) | ns |
| Aged over 64 yr | 2967 (67.7) | 935 (48.4) | 0.01 |
| Arthropathy | 2717 (62.0) | 1069 (55.1) | 0.01 |
| Heart disease | 1263 (28.8) | 411 (21.9) | 0.01 |
| Neoplasms | 764 (17.4) | 312 (16.1) | ns |
| Use of NSAIDS | 333 (7.6) | 83 (4.3) | 0.01 |
| Use of ASA | 1857 (42.4) | 150 (7.7) | 0.01 |
| Use of OAT | 255 (5.8) | 245 (12.6) | 0.01 |
| Use of systemic steroids | 201 (4.6) | 105 (5.4) | ns |
| EGDscopy | 1984 (45.3) | 642 (33.1) | 0.01 |
| H. pylori test | 1232 (28.1) | 409 (21.1) | 0.01 |
All the features differ significantly (P < 0.01) between the two groups, except for gender, frequency of neoplasms and use of systemic steroids. PPI: Proton pump inhibitors; GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease; Heart disease: Heart failure, coronary ischemic disease, major heart valves disease; NSAIDS: Non steroid inflammatory drugs; ASA: Acetylsalicylic acid; OAR: Oral anticoagulant therapy; ns: Not significant; EGDscopy: Esophageal-gastro-duodenal endoscopy; H. pylori: Helicobacter pylori.