Preventing NSAID-Associated Upper Gastrointestinal Events

Risk for symptomatic ulcer, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, or perforation was similar in patients using NSAID with high adherence to a gastroprotective agent and in those using a coxib.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use is associated with increased risk for upper gastrointestinal (UGI) events, including bleeding. This risk can be lowered by co-prescription of a gastroprotective agent (GPA) or replacement with a cyclo-oxygenase-2-selective inhibitor (coxib). So, is one approach preferable in a general population?

To investigate this issue, researchers in Europe compared the risk for a UGI event between patients taking a nonselective NSAID (nsNSAID) plus a GPA (proton-pump inhibitor, double-dosed histamine-2–receptor antagonist, or misoprostol) — with GPA compliance of ≥80% — and patients taking a coxib. In a population-based cohort of 617,200 primary care patients aged ≥50 years, they identified 398 case-patien…

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

Preventing NSAID-Associated Upper Gastrointestinal Events

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Reviewing Author