PRESCRIBED MEDICATION USE AMONG TROOPS DEPLOYING TO SOMALIA - PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGIC ANALYSIS

To describe the frequency of chronic ambulatory prescriptions dispense d to troops, pharmacists analyzed records of soldiers deploying to Som alia for Operation Restore Hope, Prescriptions recorded in the Fort Dr um pharmacy data base for soldiers deploying between November 24, 1992 , and January 12, 1993, were compared to the roster of troops deployed , Among 3,701 deploying soldiers, 273 patients (7.4%) received 425 pre scriptions, For each 1,000 troops, 114.8 prescriptions were dispensed, Of 333 presumptive diagnoses, the most common diagnostic groups were contraceptive, musculoskeletal, dermatologic, respiratory, and cardiov ascular, Of 425 prescriptions, the most common therapeutic classes of medication dispensed were oral contraceptives, anti-inflammatory drugs , acne treatments, and beta-adrenergic agonists, Generically, the comm on prescribed substances were contraceptives, ibuprofen, pirbuterol, t emazepam, piroxicam, and beclomethasone. Although women represented 6. 8% of troops, women represented 31.5% of prescription recipients and r eceived 29.4% of prescriptions. Women were 6.5 times as likely to rece ive a prescription as men (p < 0.0001); this relative risk was 3.4 if contraceptives were omitted from analysis (p < 0.0001). Two hospitaliz ations in Somalia may have been related to medication use.