Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and gastrointestinal damage—problems and solutions
- University of Glasgow and Department of Gastroenterology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow
- Professor R I Russell, 28 Ralston Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 3BA rirla{at}aol.com
- Received 26 October 1999
- Accepted 22 June 2000
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used for many years for analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and more recently in the case of aspirin, antithrombotic purposes. The use of NSAIDs continues to increase; over 22 million prescriptions are written every year in the UK, and over 70 million in the US. These figures underestimate their full use as aspirin and other NSAIDs are widely available as “over-the-counter” preparations.
The use of these drugs can also be expected to increase in the years to come, partly because of the increasing age of the population and partly because of possible new and developing indications, particularly in vascular disease and cancer prevention. It is therefore of importance to assess the safety and side effects of NSAIDs, and to consider how their safety may be improved. It has long been known that NSAIDs may have a range of side effects, of which the commonest are gastrointestinal.
It is the purpose of this paper to examine the nature, range, and causation of the gastrointestinal side effects associated with the use of NSAIDs, and to consider how these may be reduced or modified. NSAIDs may also be associated with other adverse effects, although these are much rarer than gastrointestinal problems; these include nephropathies, skin rashes, and hepatitis. NSAIDs may also interact with other drugs such as antihyperglycaemic or antihypertensive agents.
Gastrointestinal problems
NSAIDs may be associated with many gastrointestinal problems, ranging from mild to severe dyspeptic symptoms, the development of gastric or duodenal ulceration, haemorrhage or perforation, and other events which may lead to hospitalisation or death.
Endoscopic studies have shown a prevalence rate of 14%–25% of gastric and duodenal ulcers in NSAID users,1 although the difficulty of having accurate control groups makes exact figures difficult to obtain. Although endoscopic studies tend to show more gastric than duodenal ulcers associated …
