NSAID Use Can Decrease Hemoglobin Level

Data summarized from two separate randomized trials showed drops of ≥2 g/dL in hemoglobin in celecoxib and diclofenac users.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common complication of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This risk can be reduced by using a selective NSAID such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors (coxibs) or by using cotherapy with a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI). However, the effects of NSAIDs are not limited to the upper GI tract but can also result in increased intestinal permeability, intestinal ulcerations, and blood loss by other mechanisms.

To examine the effects of NSAIDs on total intestinal blood loss, researchers conducted an industry-funded investigation of whether hemoglobin (Hb) levels decreased by ≥2 g/dL in patients who took diclofenac or celecoxib in two previous large randomized trials, CLASS (JAMA 2000; 284:12…

Reviewing Author

David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH (HSA), SM (Epid.)

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH (HSA), SM (Epid.)

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose