ArticlePaediatric drugs2026
Eight-Year Trends in Nationwide Proton Pump Inhibitor Use Among Finnish Children Under 6 Years by Sector and Specialty.
Article in Paediatric drugs, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesProton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a common treatment for gastro-esophageal reflux disease. In young children, many reflux symptoms are physiological and PPI-therapy is not always necessary. Long-term PPI use has been associated with higher risks of infections, fractures, autoimmune diseases, and allergies. Therefore, PPIs should be prescribed cautiously in young children. This study evaluated 8-year trends in PPI prescribing and purchasing among young Finnish children < 6 years, focusing on the provider sector and physician specialty.
methodsThis nationwide register-based study used Finnish Prescription Centre data on all outpatient PPI prescriptions and purchases for children < 6 years (2017-2024). Annual prescription and purchase rates per 1000 children were analyzed by age group (< 1, 1-2, 3-5 years), healthcare sector (private/public), sex, and physician specialty.
resultsAmong 612,428 children < 6 years, 2.9% received ≥ 1 PPI prescription and 2.5% made ≥ 1 purchase, totaling 35,500 prescriptions and 50,781 purchases. PPI use was greatest in infants < 1 year but declined after 2018. Rates in older children remained stable. Pediatricians prescribed most PPIs (63.5%), mainly in the private sector; followed by general practitioners (27.9%), mainly in the public sector. Private providers prescribed more PPIs than public providers (68.1 versus 31.9%, p < 0.001). Pediatricians prescribed 79.0% of PPIs in infants < 1 year. Esomeprazole dominated purchases (60.4%), which were more common in boys.
conclusionsPPI use in Finnish infants declined after 2018 and remained stable in older children. Most prescriptions originated from private-sector pediatricians. Esomeprazole was the most commonly purchased PPI, and purchases were more frequent among boys.
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