Endoscopic study of gastro-intestinal injury with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

A double-blind placebo controlled study was carried out in 24 healthy male volunteers to assess the nature and extent of any gastro-intestinal damage caused by the short-term administration of flurbiprofen (300 mg/day), aspirin (2.1 g/day), and phenylbutazone (600 mg/day). Fibre-optic endoscopic examinations were made before and after 7-days' treatment by 3 observers. The results showed that aspirin produced severe and extensive damage. The changes seen with phenylbutazone were less severe than with aspirin but more marked than with flurbiprofen. Flurbiprofen was found to have produced minor changes which tended to be localized. The histopathological findings correlated well with the endoscopic observations.