Prevalence of erosive esophagitis among Japanese patients taking low-dose aspirin.
OBJECTIVE
The risk for erosive esophagitis (EE) with low-dose aspirin (ASA) remains unknown, especially among Japanese patients. We conducted the present study to compare the risk of EE with that of gastroduodenal mucosal injury among Japanese patients taking ASA.


METHODS
From 5555 patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy from January 2005 to December 2006 at Teikyo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, 159 patients (76 males and 83 females, mean age: 69.3 +/- 11 years) fulfilling the following conditions were selected: (i) taking ASA (less than 100 mg/day) continuously; (ii) not taking acid suppressants; and (iii) no history of gastrointestinal tract surgery, malignancies, severe cardiac failure, or liver cirrhosis. Age- and sex-matched patients not taking aspirin were randomly chosen as controls (n = 159). Two well-experienced endoscopic examiners evaluated endoscopic records to determine the presence or absence of esophageal hiatal hernia, EE, and gastroduodenal ulcers.


RESULTS
The prevalence of EE in patients taking aspirin (9.4%) was not different from that of the controls (6.3%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7-3.2), whereas peptic ulcers were found more frequently in the aspirin group (14%) than in the control group (4%, OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.5-8.8).


CONCLUSIONS
In Japanese patients taking ASA, EE was not as common as peptic ulcers.
Yamamoto
Takatsugu
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. ymmt@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp
Mishina
Yuji
Y
Ebato
Tadahisa
T
Isono
Akari
A
Abe
Koichiro
K
Hattori
Kengo
K
Ishii
Taro
T
Kuyama
Yasushi
Y
D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D004941:Esophagitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001241:Aspirin