OPEN ACCESS GASTROSCOPY FINDINGS ARE UNRELATED TO THE USE OF ASPIRIN AND NONSTEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY DRUGS

This study aims to determine whether priority should be given to patie nts taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatroy drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin w hen selecting which dyspeptic patients to refer for open access gastro scopy. A total of 8156 patients underwent gastroscopy, all of whom had upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients taking NSAIDs or aspirin sh owed no significant differences in the frequency of ulcer disease when age-matched groups were compared. Although NSAIDs and aspirin are fre quently implicated in gastrointestinal bleeding in the elderly, patien ts referred for investigation of dyspepsia show no increase in major e ndoscopic pathology.