Removal of H2S and CO2 from Biogas by Amine Absorption

Abstract

Background and Objectives:To describe patterns of healthcare utilization among patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in general practitioner (GP) set-tings in Germany. Methods: Using a large computerized database with information from GP practices across Germany, we identified all patients, aged ≥ 18 years, with diagnoses of, or prescrip-tions for, GAD (ICD-10 diagnosis code F41.1) between October 1, 2003 and September 30, 2004 (“GAD patients”). We also constituted an age- and sex-matched comparison group, consisting of randomly selected patients without any GP encounters or prescriptions for anxiety or depression (a common comorbidity in GAD) during the same period. GAD pa-tients were then compared to those in the matched comparison group over the one-year study period. Results: The study sample consisted of 3340 GAD patients and an equal number of matched comparators. Mean age was 53.2 years; 66.3% were women. Over the 12-month study period, GAD patients were more likely than matched comparators to have encounters for various comorbidities, including sleep disorders (odds ratio [OR] = 6.75 [95% CI = 5.31, 8.57]), substance abuse disorders (3.91 [2.89, 5.28]), and digestive system disorders (2.62 [2.36, 2.91]) (all p < 0.01). GAD patients averaged 5.6 more GP encounters (10.5 [SD = 8.8] vs 4.9 [5.7] for comparison group) and 1.4 more specialist referrals (2.3 [2.9] vs 0.9 [1.7]) (both p < 0.01). Only 58.3% of GAD patients received some type of psy-chotropic medication (i.e., benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and/or sedatives/hypnotics). Conclusions:Patients with GAD in GP practices in Germany have more clinically recog- nized comorbidities and higher levels of healthcare utilization than patients without anxiety or depression.