The Effects of Aspirin and Acetaminophen on the Stomach in Healthy Volunteers

Summary

Aspirin is a medication commonly used to relieve minor pains. Aspirin has also been used to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin, however, can also cause damage to the stomach and/or intestinal lining leading to the development of erosions ("small sores") and/or ulcers ("large sores"). Erosions may cause bleeding ("bleeding ulcers") and/or perforations ("holes in the stomach"). Acetaminophen, often referred by the brand name, Tylenol, is also used to treat minor pains but is not commonly recognized to cause damage to the stomach lining. Many patients often take both of these medications together. While the effects on the stomach lining of each medication, when used alone, are known, the effects of both medications, when used together, are not. The purpose of this study is to show whether or not the collective effects of both aspirin and acetaminophen, when used together, increase the damage on the stomach lining when compared to either medication alone.

Timeline

Start

2006-12

Primary completion

2007-12

Completion

2007-12

Publications

• Background Antithrombotic Trialists' Collaboration. Collaborative meta-analysis of randomised trials of antiplatelet therapy for prevention of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in high risk patients. BMJ. 2002 Jan 12;324(7329):71-86. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7329.71.
• Background Patrono C, Garcia Rodriguez LA, Landolfi R, Baigent C. Low-dose aspirin for the prevention of atherothrombosis. N Engl J Med. 2005 Dec 1;353(22):2373-83. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra052717. No abstract available.
• Background Weil J, Colin-Jones D, Langman M, Lawson D, Logan R, Murphy M, Rawlins M, Vessey M, Wainwright P. Prophylactic aspirin and risk of peptic ulcer bleeding. BMJ. 1995 Apr 1;310(6983):827-30. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6983.827.
• Background Derry S, Loke YK. Risk of gastrointestinal haemorrhage with long term use of aspirin: meta-analysis. BMJ. 2000 Nov 11;321(7270):1183-7. doi: 10.1136/bmj.321.7270.1183.
• Background Goldstein JL, Lowry SC, Lanza FL, Schwartz HI, Dodge WE. The impact of low-dose aspirin on endoscopic gastric and duodenal ulcer rates in users of a non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or a cyclo-oxygenase-2-selective inhibitor. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 May 15;23(10):1489-98. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.02912.x.
• Background Sorensen HT, Mellemkjaer L, Blot WJ, Nielsen GL, Steffensen FH, McLaughlin JK, Olsen JH. Risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated with use of low-dose aspirin. Am J Gastroenterol. 2000 Sep;95(9):2218-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2000.02248.x.
• Background Cryer B, Feldman M. Cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 selectivity of widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Am J Med. 1998 May;104(5):413-21. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(98)00091-6.
• Background Lanza FL, Codispoti JR, Nelson EB. An endoscopic comparison of gastroduodenal injury with over-the-counter doses of ketoprofen and acetaminophen. Am J Gastroenterol. 1998 Jul;93(7):1051-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.00327.x.
• Background Jick H. Effects of aspirin and acetaminophen in gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Results from the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program. Arch Intern Med. 1981 Feb 23;141(3 Spec No):316-21. doi: 10.1001/archinte.141.3.316.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.