Background: Sulphasalazine and 5-amino salicyclic acid drugs are specifically indicated for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Aim: To use drug consumption by a given population as a marker to estimate the number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Methods: Prescriptions for sulphasalazine and mesalazine were identified for the 133000 inhabitants of a local health unit in Rome. Other prescriptions received by the patients, who were users of sulphasalazine or mesalazine, were also studied.
Results: 99465 patients received at least one prescription for any drug in 1991. Three hundred and seventy-six patients were prescribed sulphasalazine and/or mesalazine, an average of 3.8 prescriptions per patient. These patients were exposed more frequently than the general population to other drugs often used in inflammatory bowel disease treatment, for example, corticosteroids, anti-diarrhoeal drugs and intestinal anti-infectives. We identified that 258 of 100000 inhabitants were prescribed either sulphasalazine or mesalazine; 127 of 100000 inhabitants received full-dose treatment for at least 30 days, and 42.8 of 100000 inhabitants received prescriptions of either drug, also associated with systemic corticosteroids.
Conclusion: The consumption of drugs used specifically for inflammatory bowel disease may act as a marker for the prevalence of the condition in a community.