Naturalistic survey on nonsteroidal antiinflammatory treatment in patients with musculoskeletal pain.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate patients' opinions about the gastrointestinal safety and areas for improvement of conventional nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy for musculoskeletal pain, the Louis Harris Institute conducted a survey in 401 patients selected in France using a quota sampling method.


RESULTS
Three hundred and five patients (76%) described their pain as incapacitating. Nearly, one-third of the patients (125/401, 31%) reported gastrointestinal side effects, which prompted endoscopy in 24 (24/125, 20%) and gastroprotective drug treatment (usually by a proton pump inhibitor) in 100 (100/125, 82%). NSAID discontinuation or dosage reduction because of gastrointestinal side effects occurred in 55 patients (55/125, 45%), at the cost of symptom exacerbation, including worse pain, in over half the cases. Among the 401 patients, 304 (76%) wanted more effective NSAIDs and 174 (43%) wanted better gastrointestinal tolerability.


CONCLUSIONS
Under everyday conditions, the use and effectiveness of conventional NSAID therapy are limited by gastrointestinal side effects. Furthermore, patients want NSAIDs with better risk/benefit ratios to control musculoskeletal pain.
Goupille
Philippe
P
Rheumatology Department, Trousseau Teaching Hospital, 37044, Tours, France.
Logeart
Isabelle
I
Combe
Bernard
B
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal