Failure to renew prescriptions for gastroprotective agents to patients on continuous nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases rate of upper gastrointestinal injury.

Patients with risk factors for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders who continuously use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also should take gastroprotective agents (GPAs), such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). However, it is not clear how many physicians continue to prescribe GPAs to these patients, and whether stopping the GPA prescription increases GI complications.We performed a retrospective, observational, longitudinal study using a validated electronic database of representative general practitioners in France. We analyzed data for 1856 patients at risk for GI events (65 y, past history of GI ulcer, or receiving antiplatelet agents) who received prescriptions for an NSAID and …