Ulcers, Helicobacter pylori infection, platelets and gastrointestinal complications of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: what are the connections?
Abstract
The term "gastropathy", and discussion surrounding the adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, suggests that most of the complications arise from injury to the gastric mucosa, resulting in gastric ulcers that develop complications. The commonest GI complication is bleeding, which results principally from thrombocytopathy or impaired platelet function in the presence of various underlying GI conditions, including but not confined to antecedent peptic ulcer disease, and in some cases ulcers caused by NSAIDs. In unselected cases, bleeding as a result of aspirin or NSAID may occur early in the course of treatment, much of it predictable from a careful history, taken to identify well-defined risk factors, including previous peptic ulcer disease, GI bleeding, or concomitant treatment with steroids, anticoagulants, or anti-platelet drugs. Only in the presence of such risk factors is NSAID use likely to be associated with a serious GI complication. Although GI complications are common in such cases, attributability of the event solely to NSAIDs is low. Attributability of the complication to the drug is highest when NSAID use is the sole risk factor: the estimated incidence of complications in this setting is only about 10% of all NSAID-associated GI complications. In estimating the likely outcome of therapy, the risk factors identifiable from the history in each case before treatment are more important than the choice of…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Continued Treatment With Tirzepatide for Maintenance of Weight Reduction in Adults With Obesity: The SURMOUNT-4 Randomized Clinical Trial
- Clinical Trial of Vadadustat in Patients with Anemia Secondary to Stage 3 or 4 Chronic Kidney Disease
- Human Leukocyte Antigen Complex and Other Immunogenetic and Clinical Factors Influence Susceptibility or Protection to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Severity of the Disease Course. The Sardinian Experience
- Celecoxib or naproxen treatment does not benefit depressive symptoms in persons aged 70 and over: findings from a randomized controlled trial
- Comparative Clinical Effectiveness of Nonsurgical Treatment Methods in Patients With Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Efficacy and safety of adalimumab by intra-articular injection for moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis: An open-label randomized controlled trial
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.