title: NSAIDs: a clinical approach to the problems of gastrointestinal side-effects.
abstract: Despite the fact that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used drugs in medicine today, 2-10% of patients must discontinue their use primarily due to gastrointestinal (GI) side-effects. While the development of non-aspirin NSAIDs (NA-NSAIDs) has significantly reduced GI side-effects, major problems persist. A practical clinical approach to these problems includes informing the patient about the risks and benefits of NSAIDs, risk management during treatment with NSAIDs and investigation of symptomatic side-effects during treatment. Prophylaxis of GI side-effects is feasible in selected populations, but it has not been studied widely and may not be cost-effective. At present, costs of prophylaxis in all but selected populations with multiple risks probably outweight the benefits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Butt
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Barthel
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal