Regional Differences in Prescribing Patterns of Metamizole in Germany Based on Data from 70 Million Persons

The non-opioid analgesic metamizole (dipyrone) is commonly used in Germany despite its narrow indications and market withdrawal from several countries. In this study we analyzed prescribing patterns of metamizole focusing on regional differences. The source of data was the “Information system for health care data” which includes data from the statutory health insurance funds for about 70 million Germans. We received aggregated data of individuals with at least one metamizole prescription in 2010 as well as the number of prescribed packages by age, sex, state and district along with the number of insured persons in each stratum. We calculated prescription prevalence stratified by age, sex, state and district. Among 68.4 million insured persons (mean age: 43.6 years; 53.0% female) 5.5 million received at least one metamizole prescription (8.1%, overall 12.2 million packages). Prevalence increased with age, and women received metamizole more often than men. In adults (total prevalence: 9.4%), levels varied between 7.0% (Saxony) and 11.1% (Schleswig-Holstein), whereas on a district level use ranged from 4.3% to 14.3%. In 2010, one of 12 individuals received metamizole at least once. Noticeable were the large regional variations which certainly cannot be explained by patient-related factors.

Grandmothers and Non-grandmothers in the Polish Labor Market: The Role of Family Issues

Drawing on the debates regarding work–family reconciliation in later life, we examine the extent to which the labor market position of grandmothers and nongrandmothers can be explained by their varied family situations. The data for this study comes from the Generations and Gender Survey for Poland and includes 5,999 women aged 45+ years. We use multinominal logistic regression models to explore the link between different family situations and labor market withdrawal into unemployment, sick/disability leave, and retirement. Our results indicate that neither caring for older parents nor living with children has significant effects on women’s labor activity. However, living with a disabled person reduces the chances for women’s employment significantly. In addition, women who have grandchildren have lower chances for being employed as compared with those without grandchildren. We discuss these findings in relation to work–family balance policies and research.