[Gastroduodenal mucosal injuries by aspirine. Management of the risks]

Aspirin is one of the most used drugs around the Word, it has wide therapeutic indications. From its original indications, as analgesic and anti-inflammatory and due to its platelet antiaggregate properties, this drug has become in the most employed medicine to prevent cardiovascular disease. Never the less, it is a drug with adverse effects and gastrointestinal toxicity indeed.

To identify the reasons of using aspirin, endoscopic findings on gastropathy caused by ASA and the relative risk of developing mucosal lesions. This based on a sample of adult patients in a chosen particular institution.

Prospective study of cases and controls, from January 1 to June 31, 2014, with patients with high digestive endoscopy. In the medical center Endocentro Bogotá D.C. it was selected the people with aspirin consumption on 500 mg per day dose or less taken for more than six months prior the endoscopy.

We selected 602 patients, 534 (88%) were women and 168 (12%) were men, with an age range from 17 to 92 years and with an average of 51.8 years. 107 patients were the aspirin users, 59 (55%) were women and 48 (45%) were men, with an range from 23 to 85 years and with an average of 58 years. The follow relative risks were found: gastroduodenal erosions RR=4.9 (95%IC 3.87-8.37), gastric ulcer RR=2.4 (95%IC 1.3-9.0), duodenal ulcer RR=2.8 (95%IC 1.3-7.0) any kind of gastrointestinal injury RR=5.5 (95%IC 4.1-7.2) aspirin users without any indication to the risk of develop any mucosa injury RR=2.0 (95%IC 1.4-3.0).

This study showed an important proportion (18%) of dispatched aspirin users adults to digestive endoscopy, the 13.8% of them have a clear indication to use it, a substantial percent (13%) cannot inform any medical reason; the aspirin usage for more than six months in doses lower than 500 mg per day increases the mucosal gastroduodenal injury prevalence (58%)and relative risk of suffering these injuries are high.