ArticleBMC pharmacology & toxicology2015
Prevalence, trends, patterns and associations of analgesic use in Germany.
Article in BMC pharmacology & toxicology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers.
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Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- Self-medication and pain in the European Union: Gender differences and associated factors.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Association Between Intra-Articular Hyaluronic Acid Injections and Reduction in Analgesic Prescriptions in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Real-World Study from German Outpatient Care.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Prevalence and predictors of analgesic use during early pregnancy in a Brazilian population.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Severe drug-associated anaphylaxis: a complementary descriptive analyses of registry cases and spontaneous reports.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Article
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- Nonsteroid Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use in Female Elite Ice Hockey Players With and Without Previous Concussions and Musculoskeletal Injuries.European journal of sport science · 2025Article
- Transformation of the drug ibuprofen by Priestia megaterium: reversible glycosylation and generation of hydroxylated metabolites.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2025Article
- Regular Use of Oral Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in a Population of Polish Seniors: Findings from the PolSenior2 Cross-Sectional Survey.Drugs & aging · 2025Article
- Changes in analgesic prescriptions in Dutch general practice.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
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- Epidemiology and treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in Germany: A retrospective health claims data analysis.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2024Article
- Attitudes, attributions, and usage patterns of primary care patients with regard to over-the-counter drugs-a survey in Germany.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2024Article
- Global burden and risk factors of gastritis and duodenitis: an observational trend study from 1990 to 2019.Scientific reports · 2024Observational
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- [Analgesic use in Germany : Survey of the years 2008 to 2019].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2023Article
- A pill as a quick solution: association between painkiller intake, empathy, and prosocial behavior.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- [Development of quality indicators for the care of patients with chronic kidney disease : Results of a structured consensus process using the Delphi technique].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2023Article
- Pattern and predictors of medication use among adults in southwestern Nigeria: A community-based cross-sectional study.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2023Article
- Frequency and Knowledge of Analgesics Self-Use and Their Adverse Effects in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.Cureus · 2023Article
- Pattern of use and awareness of side-effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the Jordanian population.Annals of medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite the public health relevance of analgesic use, large-scale studies on this topic in Germany are lacking. This study describes the prevalence, trends, associations and patterns of use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics, focusing on five of the most common agents: aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen and paracetamol.
methodsData from two representative population-based surveys: The German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998 (GNHIES98 n = 7099) and the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults 2008-2011 (DEGS1 n = 7091) was investigated. Information on all medicines consumed in the previous 7 days was collected via computer-assisted personal interviews with adults aged 18-79 years. Associations between analgesic use and socio-demographic and health-behaviour factors were analysed using logistic regression models.
resultsAnalgesic use has increased over the last decade from 19 to 21%. This was exclusively due to the rise in OTC analgesic use from 10.0 to 12.2%. Prescribed analgesic use remained constant (7.9%). Findings from DEGS1 indicate that ibuprofen is the most commonly used analgesic followed by aspirin and paracetamol. OTC analgesic use is higher among women and smokers, but lower among older adults (65-79 years). Prescribed analgesics use is higher among women, older adults, smokers and obese adults with medium or high socio- economic status. Adults performing more than 2 h/week of physical exercise use fewer analgesics. DISCUSSION: Among the adult population of Germany, the prevalence of OTC analgesic use has significantly increased over the last decade. We found differences between adults consuming OTC and prescribed analgesics (or both) concerning their health behaviour and health conditions. International direct comparison between prevalence rates of analgesic use was limited due to varying availability of analgesics between countries and to methodological differences.
conclusionsAbout one in five community dwelling adults aged 18-79 years in Germany use analgesics in a given week. Considering the potential harms of analgesic use, monitoring of prevalence, patterns and determinants of use at the population level are important steps to inform disease prevention and health promotion policies.
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