RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: There is very little epidemiologic data available in the literature concerning long-term corticosteroid prescriptions in France. METHODS: The information was collected from a national public health-insurance database in our geographic area of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur and Corsica. We included in the analysis, patients using a daily glucocorticoid above 7,5 milligrams for a period exceeding 90 days. RESULTS: Among the patients, 4,1 million were included in the analysis. The prevalence of glucocorticoids was around 0.8% and the incidence was 2.3/1000 inhabitants/year. The mean age of the patients was 57.6±18.8 years old. The median prednisone-equivalent dose was 11.9mg/day (Interquartile range: 8.6-20.0). The average treatment duration was 206 days (CI 95% 202-210). Most prescriptions (72,0%) were started by general practitioners. CONCLUSION: Long-term corticosteroid therapy is frequent in France. Its description is close to what is already known in Europe.
