Prescription patterns and appropriateness of NSAID therapy according to gastrointestinal risk and cardiovascular history in patients with diagnoses of osteoarthritis

Table 1 Type of prescription according to GI risk

Type of drug	Low GI risk N (%)	Moderate GI risk N (%)	High GI risk N (%)	P-value**
	N = 1283	N = 5511	N = 10311
SYSADOA	55 (4.3)	120 (2.2)	80 (0.8)	<0.0001
Paracetamol	130 (10.1)	535 (9.7)	841 (8.2)	0.001
Opioids	12 (0.9)	55 (1.0)	59 (0.6)	0.008
Combinations of any of the 3*	80 (6.2)	424 (7.7)	1103 (10.3)	<0.0001
NsNSAIDs	615 (47.9)	2,567 (46.6)	4,734 (45.9)	0.337
nsNSAID+ GP***	344/615 (55.9)	2,093/2,567 (81.5)	4,367/4,734 (92.2)	*<0.0001*
Cox-2 NSAID	294 (22.9)	1,636 (29.7)	3,669 (35.6)	<0.0001
Cox-2 + GP***	96/294 (32.7)	880/1,636 (53.8)	2.800/3,669 (76.3)	*<0.0001*

CV HX = cardiovascular history; GP = gastroprotectant (>91% proton pump inhibitors).
* Sysadoa, paracetamol, opioids; ** P-values denotes differences among groups overall; *** nsNSAIDS + GP data express the number of patients and % of patients with nsNSAIDs prescription that also take a gastroprotective agent. Also, COX-2 + GP data express the number of patients and % of patients with COX-2 selective inhibitors prescriptions that also take a gastroprotective agent.

ISSN: 1741-7015