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Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, is associated with increased risk for upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding. Proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) use can reduce, though not eliminate, that risk and thereby reduce hospitalizations. Investigators retrospectively analyzed data on PPI use and hospitalization costs among older U.S. veterans who experienced an NSAID-associated UGI event.
The cohort comprised 3556 veterans (age, ≥65; 98% men; 77% white) who had been prescribed an NSAID (a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor in 6% of cases) and who were seen for a UGI event at one of 176 Veterans Affairs facilities from 2000 through 2004. Of the patients, 42% had also been prescribed a PPI. UGI events led to hospitalization in…