Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Use and Increased Risk for Peptic Ulcer Disease in Elderly Persons

Key Points

• To evaluate the risk of serious peptic ulcer disease associated with nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use among elderly individuals.
• Assessed data examining serious ulcer disease outcomes related to nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exposure in elderly populations.
• Evaluated ulcer disease risk according to medication dosage and recency of use.
• Nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with a clinically significant increase in the risk of serious ulcer disease in elderly persons.
• Ulcer disease risk increases progressively with both higher drug doses and more recent drug administration.
• Use of these medications is estimated to account for a large proportion of peptic ulcer disease cases in older adults.