International variation in medication prescription rates among elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

View Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The elderly represent a growing demographic of patients with IBD. No study has previously described variations in care or medication prescriptions in senior patients with IBD. We compared prescription rates among elderly patients with IBD in four countries using health administrative data.

METHODS

Databases from the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Denmark and Canada were queried. Variation in prescription rates between countries was assessed in patients ≥65y with prevalent IBD who had ≥1 prescription for an IBD-related medication in a given quarter between 2004 and 2009. Patients were identified using previously-reported, validated algorithms. Country-specific rates were compared in each quarter using Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

In patients with Crohn's disease, Canada and US had higher prescription rates for oral 5-ASA (P<0.0001 in all quarters) and infliximab (P<0.05 in 22/24 quarters), while the US had higher rates of thiopurine usage (P<0.05 in 23/24 quarters). Canada had greater rates of methotrexate prescriptions (P<0.05 in 21/24 quarters analyzed). In patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), rates of oral steroid usage was lowest in the US (P<0.05 in 22/24 quarters) and oral 5-ASA use was highest in the US and Canada (P<0.0001 in all quarters). Canada and Denmark used more rectal therapy than the US. Infliximab usage in UC was significantly higher in the US and Canada after 2006.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant variation in medication prescription rates exists among countries. Future research should assess whether these differences were associated with disparities in outcomes and health care costs.

Investigators
Abbreviation
J Crohns Colitis
Publication Date
2012-09-25
Volume
7
Issue
11
Page Numbers
878-89
Pubmed ID
23018106
Medium
Print-Electronic
Full Title
International variation in medication prescription rates among elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Authors
Benchimol EI, Cook SF, Erichsen R, Long MD, Bernstein CN, Wong J, Carroll CF, Frøslev T, Sampson T, Kappelman MD