ArticleCureus2025
A Pharmacoepidemiological Indicator for Detecting Potential Regional Overuse of Hypnotics in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives The main objective of this study is to examine how environmental and demographic factors shape regional prescription patterns of circadian-related hypnotics, and to develop a pharmacoepidemiological indicator for detecting potential regional overuse. Methods A nationwide ecological cross-sectional study was conducted using 2022 data from all 47 prefectures of Japan. Population-adjusted prescription volumes of ramelteon, suvorexant, and lemborexant were obtained from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims. Environmental (annual sunlight duration and ultraviolet index) and demographic (aging rate and outpatient clinic density) variables were extracted from governmental statistics. Pearson correlation and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted, and residuals were geographically visualized to identify regional deviations from model expectations. Results Ramelteon and suvorexant prescriptions were significantly associated with shorter sunlight duration and higher aging rates (r = -0.64 and -0.61, both p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, sunlight duration and aging rate independently predicted prescription volumes (adjusted R² = 0.46), with improved performance (adjusted R² = 0.51) after exclusion of high-influence outliers. Residual analysis revealed that unexplained positive deviations were concentrated in urban prefectures, suggesting locally elevated prescribing tendencies. Conclusions Regional prescription volumes of circadian-related hypnotics can, to some extent, be anticipated from environmental determinants such as sunlight duration. The proposed indicator-based pharmacoepidemiological framework may help identify regions at risk of potential overuse and guide climate-sensitive strategies for optimizing hypnotic use in older adults.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.