Self-medication with gastric pH-modifying drugs: Systematic and meta-analytical study

Abstract

Objective:To determine the prevalence of self-medication with gastric pH modifying drugs in Latin America. Material and methods: A systematic search was carried out using Google Scholar, PubMed, SciELO and the od from January 2000 to August 2021. We only included observational studies that contained data on self-medication and that contained sufficient data to estimate the prevalence of self-medication, either with number of patients or number of medicines. A random-effects model was applied for the construction of the tree diagram based on the number of patients or number of medicines, with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: We included 31 studies, with a total number of 9,300 individuals surveyed and from 9 countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela). The mean age of the respondents was 26.69 ± 11.15 years. The studies were conducted in the general population, university students and professionals. The combined prevalence of self-medication with gastric pH-modifying drugs was 13% (95% CI 8% to 18%, I =98%). Likewise, the three countries with the highest prevalence of self-medication with gastric pH modifying drugs were: Colombia (53%), El Salvador (45%) and Peru (34%) Conclusion: Self-medication with gastric pH modifying drugs was high. More studies are needed on the prevalence and factors associated with this phenomenon.