Antibotics Fight Asprin-Induced Ulcers

March 31, 2001

> Antibiotics Fight Aspirin-Induced Ulcers

> Antibiotics may negate some of the ulcer risk in people who take

> aspirin every day. That's the finding of a study published in

> the New England Journal of Medicine, which says that antibiotics

> that kill the Helicobacter pylori bacteria may help limit the

> damage aspirin does to the stomach. In the study, researchers in

> Hong Kong looked at 400 patients who were taking either aspirin

> or naproxen on a daily basis. Both medications can be hard on

> the stomach and are associated with a risk of bleeding ulcers.

> The researchers had some of the patients take omeprazole, an

> acid-cutting medication, every day. They had the other patients

> take an antibiotic for a week, and then a placebo after that.

> After six months, the researchers found that patients who took

> aspirin benefited just as much from a week of antibiotics as from

> months of taking omeprazole. With both medications, the risk of

> bleeding ulcers was 1 to 2 percent. However, the antibiotics

> didn't help the patients taking the painkiller naproxen. The

> chance of developing bleeding ulcers was 19 percent with

> antibiotics and only 4 percent with omeprazole, The Associated

> Press reports. The researchers say their findings could offer an

> inexpensive and convenient way for heart patients - who often

> take aspirin daily to prevent blood clots - to avoid ulcers.

>

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