Hydrochlorothiazide use is associated with a substantially increased risk of NMSC, especially SCC.

Approximately 50% of patients with heartburn who do not have oesophagitis need acid inhibitory therapy in addition to antacid medication to maintain a normal quality of life. On-demand therapy with omeprazole 20 mg, is an effective treatment strategy in these patients.

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This case-control study assesses the association of hydrochlorothiazide with risk of malignant melanoma among Danish adults.

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Background The antihypertensive agent hydrochlorothiazide has been associated with increased risks of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and possibly some melanoma subtypes. Previous studies were, however, conducted in predominantly Caucasian populations. We therefore examined the association between hydrochlorothiazide and skin cancer risk in an Asian population. Methods By using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), we conducted three separate case–control studies of lip cancer, non-lip non-melanoma skin cancer and melanoma. Cases (n = 29,082) with a first-ever skin cancer diagnoses (2008–2015) were matched 1:10 to population controls. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) associating hydrochlorothiazide use with skin cancer risk by using conditional logistic regression. Results Hydrochlorothiazide use showed no overall association with any of the three outcomes: ORs for high cumulative use of HCTZ (≥50,000 mg) were 0.86 (95% CI 0.09–7.81) for lip cancer, 1.16 (95% CI 0.98–1.37) for non-lip NMSC and 1.07 (95% CI 0.65–1.76) for melanoma. There was some evidence of a dose–response pattern for non-lip NMSC, with an OR of 1.66 (95% CI 0.82–3.33) for 100,000–149,999 mg of HCTZ. The null findings were robust across subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusion Use of HCTZ appears safe in terms of skin cancer risk in an Asian population.

It is concluded that treatment with omeprazole 20 mg and omeprazole 10 mg restores QoL to a level comparable with that observed in a healthy population.

Background and aim-To comprehensively assess the relative merits of medical and surgical therapy for gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GORD), health economic aspects have to be incorporated. We have studied the direct and indirect costs of medical and surgical therapy within the framework of a prospective randomised multicentre trial. Methods-After initial treatment of reflux oesophagitis with omeprazole to control symptoms and to heal oesophagitis, 154 patients were randomised to continue treatment with omeprazole (20 or 40 mg daily) and 144 patients to have an open antireflux operation (ARS). In case of GORD relapse, patients allocated to omeprazole were oVered ARS and those initially operated on had either a reoperation or were treated with omeprazole. The costs were assessed over five years from randomisation. Results-DiVerences in cumulative direct medical costs per patient between the two therapeutic strategies diminished with time. However, five year direct medical costs per patient when given omeprazole were still significantly lower than for those having ARS in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (diVerences were DKK 8703 (US$1475), NOK 32 992 (US$ 5155), and SEK 13 036 (US$ 1946), respectively). However, in Finland the reverse was true (the diVerence in favour of ARS amounted to FMK 7354 (US$ 1599)). When indirect costs (loss of production due to GORD related sick leave) were also included, the cost of surgical treatment increased substantially and exceeded the cost of medical treatment in all countries. Conclusions-The total costs of medical therapy for chronic GORD were lower than those of open ARS when prospectively assessed over a five year period, although significant diVerences in cost estimates were revealed between countries. (Gut 2001;49:488-494)