Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug gastropathy: clinical results with antacids and sucralfate.

The efficacy of antacids in the short- and long-term treatment of peptic ulcers, has suggested a possible use in the prevention and in the treatment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug related gastroduodenal lesions. In short-term prevention studies, significant protection against ASA-related lesions was observed when antacids at high-dose were given before the administration of the offending drug. To the contrary, antacids at low dose did not prevent ASA-induced lesions of gastric and duodenal mucosa. As for long-term prophylaxis, no clinical effect was observed. In the treatment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related mucosal lesions in patients who were able to discontinue the offending drugs, antacids proved of some use, when compared with placebo, but were significantly less effective than H2 blockers, as cimetidine. Sucralfate is an effective antiulcer drug thought to provide cytoprotective action. Although initial studies utilizing sucralfate for protection against short-term aspirin administration were encouraging, longer term studies (more than 7 days) were generally disappointing. A comparative study with misoprostol demonstrated that the PGE1 analogue was far superior for the prevention of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ulcers, and that ulceration rates in the sucralfate group were equivalent to rates in the placebo group. As far as the treatment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related mucosal lesions is concerned, sucralfate proved superior to placebo, similar to ranitidine, but significantly less effective than omeprazole.