It is widely recognized that weather changes can trigger headache onset. Most people who develop headaches choose to self-medicate rather than visit a hospital or clinic. We investigated the association between weather and headache onset using large-sample sales of the headache medicine, loxoprofen. We collected daily sales figures of loxoprofen and over-the-counter drugs over a 1-year period from a drugstore chain in western Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. To adjust for changes in daily sales of loxoprofen due to social environmental factors, we calculated a proportion of loxoprofen daily sales to over-the-counter drug daily sales. At the same time, we obtained weather data for the study region from the website of the Japan Meteorological Agency. We performed linear regression analysis to ascertain the association between weather conditions and the loxoprofen daily sales proportion. We also conducted a separate questionnaire survey at the same drugstores to determine the reason why people purchased loxoprofen. Over the study period, we surveyed the sale of hundreds of thousands of loxoprofen tablets. Most people purchased loxoprofen because they had a headache. We found that the sales proportion of loxoprofen increased when average barometric pressure decreased, and that precipitation, average humidity, and minimum humidity increased on loxoprofen purchase days compared to the previous day of purchases. This study, performed using a large dataset that was easy-to-collect and representative of the general population, revealed that sales of loxoprofen, which can represent the onset and aggravation of headache, significantly increased with worsening weather conditions.

Helicobacter pyloriis a cause of stomach cancer and peptic ulcer. For prevention, improving the eradication rate ofH. pyloriis crucial. However, the association between eradication and lifestyle of infected patients, including alcohol consumption, remains unclear. We explored associations between failed primary eradication therapy and drinking status by sex. This study involved 356 patients who visited a pharmacy with prescriptions for primaryH. pylorieradication therapy. We assessed drinking habits using a questionnaire. Data on patients with failed primary eradication were provided by the nearby local clinic. We performed logistic regression analysis to examine the effect of drinking habit and frequency of drinking on failed primary eradication by sex. The odds ratio of primary eradication failure in female patients with a drinking habit was 3.75 (P= 0.001), but that in male patients was not significant. The odds ratio tended to increase in relation to drinking frequency in women. Frequent consumption of alcohol is not only likely to affect eradication, but also has a large impact on the bodies of women, who are more susceptible than men to the effects of alcohol. Thus, women should take greater care in alcohol consumption.

Objective: The prevention of deaths caused indirectly by disasters is important, especially for evacuees requiring medication. Pharmacies play a major role in providing medication to disaster victims. Therefore, this study evaluated the current status of disaster preparedness among pharmacies, the extent of disaster awareness and knowledge of disaster mitigation measures, and any associations of these with the characteristics of pharmacies.Methods: Questionnaires about disaster preparedness were sent to 337 pharmacies in Japan, in a region at high risk of major earthquakes. Tabulation analyses were carried out to examine the characteristics of pharmacies and then a logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between disaster awareness and the level of preparedness of pharmacies. Furthermore, to examine in detail any differences associated with pharmacy size, subgroup analyses were performed.Results: High disaster awareness was significantly correlated with adequate disaster preparedness. However, in the subgroup analyses, no significant differences were observed among large pharmacies. In contrast, disaster awareness was significantly related to the disaster preparedness of small pharmacies.Conclusion: The findings suggest that the disaster preparedness of pharmacies is related to the level of disaster awareness, highlighting the importance of disaster awareness activities in ordinary times before a disaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:753–757)

Chronic gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection can lead to gastric atrophy. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with gastric atrophy in H. pylori eradication patients with drinking habits. Of the 250 patients who visited Hamamatsu University Hospital for H. pylori eradication and underwent eradication treatment between April 2017 and December 2020, 127 patients with drinking habits were included in this study. The degree of gastric atrophy of the patients was classified based on endoscopy. The relationship between patient attributes (sex, age, alcohol consumption, frequency of drinking, smoking status, and medication use) and a highly atrophic stomach was statistically analyzed. The results showed that gastric atrophy was significantly higher in males and in those aged 60 years or older and that gastric atrophy tended to be higher in those who drank 20 g or more per day and 5 days or more a week. There was also a trend toward higher atrophy in sake drinkers and lower atrophy in wine drinkers. This study provides useful knowledge for patient management and guidance after H. pylori eradication treatment and indicates the importance of comprehensive measures, including alcohol consumption control and lifestyle modification, especially for men and older people.

Objective Recently, the number of patients receiving Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment has dramatically increased in Japan, although the eradication rate has gradually decreased. Patient characteristics could affect the eradication rate. Our aim in this study was to investigate the association between failed first-line eradication therapy and hay fever. Methods We researched 356 patients who visited a pharmacy adjacent to the Internal Medicine clinic with a prescription for first-line H. pylori eradication treatment and investigated whether the patients had hay fever using a questionnaire. We separated these patients into 2 groups based on the success or failure of eradication according to the clinical data and performed a logistic regression analysis to investigate the influence of hay fever on first-line eradication failure. Results The eradication rate of patients with and without hay fever was 65.6% and 77.7%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios according to which patients with hay fever would fail eradication therapy gradually lowered with increasing patient age [<= 50 years, odds ratio (OR) 6.81, p=0.089; 51-60 years, OR 2.75, p=0.145; 61-70 years, OR 1.60, p=0.391; >70 years, OR 1.02, p=0.979]. A significant relationship was found for all patients (OR 1.88, p=0.047) and the age group <= 70 years (OR 2.31, p=0.024). Conclusion Patients with hay fever have difficulty with first-line eradication, especially younger patients. The existence of clarithromycin-resistant bacteria is suspected, and other factors may also be involved. When a hay fever sufferer receives first-line treatment, eradication might be difficult and other treatment may be required.

Objective: Pharmacies have a particularly important responsibility to supply medicine to disaster victims in order to save lives. This study investigated the characteristics of pharmacies that are well prepared for disasters as well as the efforts of the prefectural pharmaceutical association (PPA) to which the pharmacies belong. Methods: Questionnaires on matters related to disaster preparedness were mailed to 50 randomly selected pharmacies in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures as well as all 47 PPAs in Japan. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of pharmacy background and the activities of the PPA to which they belong with pharmacy disaster preparedness as well as the association with pharmacies’ awareness of disaster preparedness. Results: Pharmacies in prefectures that conducted disaster preparedness training at least three times a year were better prepared for disasters. In addition, pharmacies with high online utilization and high disaster-preparedness awareness were significantly more prepared for disasters. Conclusions: Pharmacies that can promptly provide medicine to disaster victims are considered to be well-prepared for disasters. The results suggest that pharmacy preparedness is also influenced by the disaster preparedness activities of their prefectures.