.Current news and Commentaries

CDC and APhA Inaugurate Ulcer Awareness Week; Pharmacists Play Key Role in Educating Self-medicating Patients ATLANTA, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're one of the 18-25 million Americans who suffer from peptic ulcers, your pharmacist may have some news that could make you very happy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) are launching the first annual National Ulcer Awareness Week, August 9 to 16, 1999, enlisting the nation's pharmacists to help educate their patients and spread the word that most ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection and can be cured. Ulcer Awareness Week comes soon after the release of CDC research that reveals a low level of awareness about the link between ulcers and infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Research also found an alarming number of self-treating patients who are no longer in contact with a doctor. In a recent national survey only one quarter (25%) of patients with a self-reported history of peptic ulcer disease knew that a bacterial infection caused most ulcers. A separate survey found that 26% of patients with a history of peptic ulcer disease indicated that they were self-medicating, and 43% of the respondents taking over-the-counter medicines had not seen a doctor about their symptoms. "In many cases, the pharmacist may be the only health professional with a direct, personal relationship with ulcer sufferers," says Mitchell Cohen, M.D., Director of CDC's Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. "That is why we have joined with APhA, the nation's largest pharmacist association, to talk with their patients about the link between ulcer disease and H. pylori infection and to encourage them to contact a physician about getting the cure." "Pharmacies are highly accessible health care centers. APhA, the national professional society of pharmacists, is pleased to help CDC launch the first Ulcer Awareness Week, and bring the welcome news of a cure for ulcers to the many sufferers through our member pharmacists," adds John A. Gans, PharmD., AphA executive vice president. According to CDC, nine out of ten ulcers are caused by H. pylori infection.Once the infection is diagnosed, there is a better than 90% chance that it can be cured for good with combination antibiotic therapy. Curing ulcers rather than managing ulcer symptoms would also substantially reduce the annual $6 billion cost associated with peptic ulcer disease in the United States. The advice of a pharmacist becomes even more critical for ulcer sufferers being treated with antibiotic therapy. Adds Dr. Cohen, "Full compliance with medication is vital for success in eradicating H. pylori.Clearly, pharmacists can make a big difference in the fight against ulcer disease -- before an infection is diagnosed and during treatment." For the first annual National Ulcer Awareness Week, CDC and APhA have distributed materials to all 55,000 APhA member pharmacists, including a wall poster that was inserted in the APhA publication Pharmacy Today.  Not only will pharmacists counsel their patients to ask their doctors about the cure, they will also encourage them to call CDC's toll-free information line 1-888-MY ULCER or visit CDC's web site at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/hpylori.htm for more information.