[De-nol in NSAID-induced gastroduodenal lesions]

It is well known that prolonged use of Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) can trigger gastroduodenal lesions and/or their complications, even in the absence of any dramatic painful and dyspeptic symptomatology. The paper reports the results of a double-blind study carried out with Colloidal Bismuth Subcitrate (CBS, DE-NOL), an antiulcer drug with cytoprotective activity, versus ranitidine (RN) with the aim of assessing its therapeutic efficacy in promoting healing of either gastric or duodenal ulcers induced by NSAIDs. It is concluded that the efficacy of DE-NOL is comparable to that of RN, although some minor differences in healing rates were observed: these being in favour of DE-NOL in the gastric ulcer patients and in favour of RN in the duodenal ulcer patients, respectively. In addition, it is stated that in patients undergoing chronic treatment with NSAIDs the use of cytoprotective drugs as a preventive treatment as well as periodic endoscopic surveillance are more useful and rational in order to combat the onset of NSAIDs-induced side-effects, given the frequent paucity of symptomatology following the occurrence of gastroduodenal lesions.