Peptic Ulcer prevention in chronic NSAID-user

Abstract

Approximately 33 million Americans take Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSADIs) regularly. As many as 15-25% of these chronic NSAID users will develop ulcer disease. Of which 2-4% will experience complication of bleeding or perforation. Therefore, physicians who prescribe NSAIDs are faced with the difficult dilemma of identification of high risk patients and selecting the appropriate strategy to prevent peptic ulcer disease and its complications. Successful intervention must include adequate patient education and risk stratification strategies in order to make appropriate prevention recommendation. This pamphlet is designed to help patient understand their risks of developing ulcers and the clinical risk assessment of Gastrointestinal and Cardiovascular risks in primary prevention of NSAID-related ulcer.