Is NSAIDs-related gastrointestinal damage preventable?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are some of the most commonly used drugs worldwide; however, they are not innocuous. The spectrum of upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract damage caused by NSAIDs has been well established, and strategies to prevent this have been widely studied and implemented. Removing modifiable risk factors, the selection of less toxic NSAIDs and treatment with gastroprotective drugs, if necessary, are the main strategies employed. However, injury of the NSAIDs-related lower GI tract remains poorly characterized. In the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in this field and the search for effective preventive treatments is under way. Use of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, prostaglandin, antibiotic or drugs that are not yet commercially available such as nitric oxide-releasing and hydrogen sulfide (H(2) S)-releasing NSAIDs compounds seem to reduce lower GI injury, but more evidence are needed before any of them are recommended in high-risk patients.