Endoscopic evaluation of the effect of ketoprofen, ibuprofen and aspirin on the gastroduodenal mucosa.

Endoscopic lesions of the gastric mucosa were evaluated in 12 healthy volunteers after administration of single doses of ketoprofen (25 mg), ibuprofen (200 mg) and aspirin (500 mg) in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study. The grades of the lesions (according to Lanza's scale) were lower after the administration of ketoprofen than aspirin and were comparable to ibuprofen. An endoscopic score greater than 1 was observed in 3 cases after ibuprofen or ketoprofen, and in 8 cases after aspirin. At a time when low, single doses of NSAIDs are widely used as analgesics, gastroscopy makes it possible directly to assess the local aggressivity of these molecules. In this way it was possible to demonstrate that the local toxicity of NSAIDs was lower than that of aspirin.