NONSTEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY DRUG-INDUCED GASTROINTESTINAL TOXICITY - NEW INSIGHTS INTO AN OLD PROBLEM

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used for the treatment of chronic arthropathies, but their gastrointestinal damage remains a significant limitation to their use. In this review, the pathogenic m echanisms through which these drugs are believed to cause gastrointest inal damage are outlined. A better understanding of the pathogenesis o f gastric and intestinal injury has resulted in novel strategies that are being employed to develop nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs tha t do not have significant adverse effects on the gastrointestinal trac t.