A questionnaire-based survey on the prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by physicians in East Asian countries in 2007.
BACKGROUND
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin are widely used clinically but increase the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) complications.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the current prescription of NSAIDs and comedication to prevent GI complications from NSAIDs within East Asia by means of a questionnaire survey.


METHODS
Representative members of the Committee of the International Gastrointestinal Consensus Symposium provided a questionnaire to physicians in 6 East Asian countries.


RESULTS
A total of 1,568 physicians participated in this survey. Most physicians prescribed nonselective NSAIDs, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (COXIBs) or aspirin for more than 5 patients per week in all countries, with the exception of the prescription of COXIBs in Japan. Of the nonselective NSAIDs, the drug most frequently prescribed as a first choice was loxoprofen (34%), which was mainly prescribed in Japan, followed by diclofenac (30%). The frequency of prescription of comedication with nonselective NSAIDs was higher compared with that for selective COXIBs or aspirin. Physicians in the northern region (China, Japan and Korea) preferred mucoprotective drugs for comedication with NSAIDs or aspirin, while those in southern region (Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand) frequently used proton-pump inhibitors.


CONCLUSIONS
Among East Asian countries, there are both similarities and differences in the prescription of NSAIDs and of comedication to prevent GI complications.
Arakawa
Tetsuo
T
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Abenoku, Osaka, Japan. arakawat@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Fujiwara
Yasuhiro
Y
Sollano
Jose D
JD
Zhu
Qi
Q
Kachintorn
Udom
U
Rani
Abdul Aziz
AA
Hahm
Ki-Baik
KB
Takahashi
Shin-ichi
S
Joh
Takashi
T
Kinoshita
Yoshikazu
Y
Matsumoto
Takayuki
T
Naito
Yuji
Y
Takeuchi
Koji
K
Yamagami
Hirokazu
H
Agustanti
Nenny
N
Xiong
Huifang
H
Chen
Xi
X
Jang
Eun Jung
EJ
Furuta
Kenji
K
Terano
Akira
A