Endoscopic comparison of three aspirin preparations and placebo.

Eighty of 84 volunteers aged 22 to 70 years successfully completed a 3-month, single-blind endoscopic study in which they received single-dose placebo or 325 mg/day of enteric-coated aspirin (ECA), buffered aspirin (BA), or plain aspirin (ASA). Upper endoscopy was performed at the beginning of the study and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The gastric and duodenal mucosa was scored endoscopically using a system adapted from Lanza et al. Enteric-coated aspirin and placebo were not statistically different from one another in the gastric damage produced, but both were significantly different from ASA and BA. Significant damage to the gastric mucosa was seen with ASA and BA, with no significant difference between them. Analysis of duodenal mucosa injury revealed that BA, ECA, ASA, and placebo were not significantly different from one another. In addition, a statistical relationship between age and injury could not be proven.