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Aspirin therapy, even in low doses, is associated with increased risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and peptic ulcer disease. However, the magnitude of ulceration risk in large populations of such patients is unclear.
To identify the prevalence and incidence of peptic ulcers among patients who take low-dose aspirin (75–365 mg daily), investigators recruited 187 patients (in Australia, Canada, Spain, and the U.K.) who were not taking gastroprotective drugs. Dyspeptic symptoms were evaluated using validated questionnaires, and patients underwent upper endoscopies that included biopsies for Helicobacter pylori evaluation. Patients without ulcers (of ≥3 mm in diameter) continued in the study, unless endoscopy revealed other problems; those with …