Gastrointestinal side effects of NSAIDs are increased up to four-fold in people older than 65, a pooled analysis of data from more than 30,000 patients has concluded.
The patients were enrolled in three clinical trials comparing the selective COX-2 inhibitor etoricoxib with diclofenac for the treatment of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The subsequent analysis aimed to identify patient characteristics that influenced adverse GI events.
GI clinical events were categorised as either ‘complicated’ (such as perforation, obstruction and serious bleeding) or ‘uncomplicated’.
While age greater than 65 increased the risk of all GI events by a factor of 2.25, the risk of ‘complicated’ events rose four-fold.
Concurrent low-dose aspirin was also a risk factor, increasing complicated GI events 3.4 fold.
Although...
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