Painkillers Can Cause Fatal Stomach Bleeding

[Guest guest]

http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/082505HA.shtml

 

 

(The results are probably very under identified and under reported. If the true

numbers were known it would probably be much higher.)

 

Painkillers Can Cause Fatal Stomach Bleeding

Reuters

 

Wednesday 24 August 2005

 

Approximately one third of all hospitalizations and deaths related

to gastrointestinal bleeding can be attributed to the use of aspirin

or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) painkillers like

ibuprofen, a study in Spain suggests.

 

Moreover, up to one third of these painkiller-related incidents

may be due to low-dose aspirin.

 

Dr. Angel Lanas, at University Hospital in Zaragoza, and his

associates evaluated data from 26 Spanish hospitals on

hospitalizations related to peptic-ulcer disease or complications such

as bleeding or perforation, as well as drug use during the month prior

to hospitalization.

 

They report their findings in the American Journal of

Gastroenterology.

 

A total of 8010 serious gastrointestinal bleeding events were

reported, and among these, the mortality rate was 5.7 percent.

 

The authors report that the proportion of complications and deaths

attributed to NSAID and aspirin use was 36.3 percent. They also note

that nearly 90 percent of deaths occurred in patients older than 60

years of age.

 

To extrapolate the impact of aspirin and NSAID use on the general

population of Spain, Lanas' group obtained data from 197 hospitals

representative of all the hospitals in the Spanish National Health System.

 

Their results suggest that the death rate resulting from NSAID- or

aspirin-related gastrointestinal complications was between 21 and 25

cases per million inhabitants. This translates to about 15 such deaths

for every 100,000 users of aspirin or NSAIDs.

 

According to the authors, these results highlight " the importance

of taking ever-greater steps to research new and better alternatives

to treat pain and inflammation in the elderly, to heighten physician

and public awareness of the associated problems of NSAID therapy, and

to educate them on the use of appropriate prevention strategies. "

 

Dr. Byron Cryer, from the Dallas VA Medical Center, agrees with

this conclusion. He writes in a related editorial: " Although

clinically significant gastrointestinal events with NSAIDs are

uncommon, as a result of the vast numbers of patients who take these

medications, when assessed by percentages these complications remain a

significant public health concern. "

 

Source: American Journal of Gastroenterology, August 2005.

 

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