Abstract

The toxic effects of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were endoscopically evaluated in several studies conducted between 1975 and 1983 and involving 843 normal volunteers. Anti-inflammatory doses of acetylsalicylic acid (2,400 and 3,900 mg/day) consistently produced significantly more mucosal injury than did any of the newer NSAIDs. Buffering did not reduce the degree of damage. Little or no mucosal injury was seen with placebo, "pro drugs," enteric-coated aspirin, or 1,200 mg/day of ibuprofen (Motrin, Upjohn). However, varying degrees of generally dose-dependent mucosal injury were evident with larger doses of ibuprofen, naproxen, tolmetin sodium, and indomethacin. The amount of mucosal damage after 2,400 mg/day of ibuprofen did not increase when 4,800 mg daily was administered. Duodenal injury corresponded to gastric injury, but it was generally less severe. Short-term studies of one to three days indicated that ibuprofen produced little or no injury when given at a dose of 2,400 mg for one day or 1,600 mg/day for three days. No relation was noted between subjective symptoms and endoscopic findings.