Gastrointestinal bleeding associated with chronic excessive use overdosing with topical ketoprofen patch in elderly patient

Topical ketoprofen patch has been developed to reduce the risk of systemic adverse effects such as gastrointestinal injury and renal toxicity.

We reported here a case of lower intestinal bleeding associated with chronic excessive use of topical ketoprofen patch in an elderly patient.

A 74-year-old female visited to the outpatient clinic of the Gifu University Hospital and admitted thereafter. She had fecal occult blood and anemia. Enteroscopic examination showed several ulcerative lesions and a protruded lesion accompanied with redness in the small intestinal mucosa. She used 8 sheets of 20 mg ketoprofen patch every day for a long period to relieve pain in the shoulder, lower back and lower limb. She had no diseases that are related to the initiation of gastrointestinal bleeding, including infection, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disease and malignant disease. Thus, the present lower intestinal bleeding was concluded to be due to the use of topical ketoprofen patch. The symptoms were recovered after cessation of the patch.

Extensive care should be taken to avoid ulcerative intestinal hemorrhage to elderly patients receiving multiple doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug patch for multiple days.