October 24, 2001 CHICAGO (AP) - A study of more than 4,000 Medicare patients with peptic ulcers suggests many are not being warned against using pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen, which can cause the ailment or make it worse.
Less than a third of patients in the five states studied were told about the risks of those medicines, which are called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDS.
About 25 million Americans develop peptic ulcers, which are raw areas or holes in the stomach or other parts of the digestive tract. While experts think about 70 percent to 90 percent are caused by a treatable germ called Helicobacter pylori, NSAIDS are a major cause of the remainder.
The National Institutes of Health published guidelines in 1994 recommending that all peptic ulcer patients be tested for the bacterium. They also say that doctors should determine if patients use NSAIDS and that the drugs should be stopped if possible.
The study sought to determine if the guidelines prompted any changes in care from 1995 to 1997 for Medicare patients hospitalized with peptic ulcers. The findings appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Jane Brock of the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care and colleagues found that testing for the bacterium increased 12 percent to 19 percent in the five states studied: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Oklahoma and Virginia.
However, there was no significant change in screening for NSAIDS or counseling against their use.
In a group of 752 Colorado patients, those who were counseled against using the drugs were much less likely to die or be rehospitalized for ulcer treatment a year later.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
