Table 1.
Characteristics of individuals newly prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RA)
| Characteristic | PPI† | H2RA† |
| Total | 1 699 837 | 385 988 |
| Male, n (%) | 768 781 (45.2) | 167 683 (43.4) |
| Age, years (mean, SD) | 53.4 (18.9) | 48.6 (21.1) |
| Age group, n (%) | ||
| <18 years | 34 590 (2.0) | 30 057 (7.8) |
| 18–39 years | 393 052 (23.1) | 109 205 (28.3) |
| 40–59 years | 596 469 (35.1) | 116 174 (30.1) |
| ≥60 years | 675 726 (39.8) | 130 552 (33.8) |
| Evidence-based indication, n (%)* | 740 177 (43.5) | 174 836 (45.3) |
| Dyspepsia | 316 831 | 112 737 |
| Gastroprotection | 288 360 | 41 350 |
| Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease | 158 405 | 33 480 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 50 239 | 14 453 |
| Helicobacter pylori infection | 41 430 | 2526 |
| Barrett’s oesophagus | 4180 | 137 |
| Zollinger-Ellison syndrome | 24 | 5 |
| Non-evidence based gastroprotection, n (%) | 363 992 (21.4) | 51 476 (13.3) |
| Off-label indication, n (%)* | 253 591 (14.9) | 72 431 (18.8) |
| Stomach pain | 231 715 | 64 188 |
| Gastritis or duodenitis | 35 908 | 13 096 |
| No recorded indication, n (%) | 342 077 (20.1) | 87 245 (22.6) |
| Reason for discontinuation† | ||
| Switch to other class | 43 988 (2.6) | 124 648 (32.3) |
| Treatment gap >30 days | 893 230 (52.5) | 122 928 (31.8) |
| Administrative censoring | 762 619 (44.9) | 138 412 (35.9) |
*Indication categories are not mutually exclusive.
†Median (IQR) duration of first treatment course for PPI users and H2RA users was 144 (59–870) days and 279 (61–1645) days, respectively.