TABLE 2.
Patient characteristics according to geographical areas of Northern and Southern Italy.
| Bergamo | Caserta | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | N | % | N | % | N | % |
| Total | 80,684 | — | 94,658 | — | 175,342 | — |
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 34,724 | 43.0 | 40,216 | 42.5 | 76.4 (7.5) | 42.7 |
| Female | 45,960 | 57.0 | 54,442 | 57.5 | 100,402 | 57.3 |
| Age | ||||||
| Mean (St.dev.) | 77.2 (7.5) | — | 75.8 (7.3) | — | — | — |
| 65–74 years | 32,471 | 40.2 | 46,214 | 48.8 | 78,685 | 44.9 |
| 75–84 years | 33,208 | 41.2 | 35,139 | 37.1 | 68,347 | 39.0 |
| ≥85 years | 15,005 | 18.6 | 13,305 | 14.1 | 28,310 | 16.1 |
| Frequency of PPI use | ||||||
| Only HP Combination | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Only Other Drugs for GERD | 1,565 | 1.9 | 1,795 | 1.9 | 3,360 | 1.9 |
| Occasional Users | 9,273 | 11.5 | 11,799 | 12.5 | 21,072 | 12.1 |
| Short Term Users | 13,030 | 16.1 | 12,953 | 13.7 | 25,983 | 14.8 |
| Chronic Users | 56,813 | 70.5 | 68,110 | 71.9 | 124,923 | 71.2 |
HP: helicobacter pylori, GERD: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease.