NSAIDs and gastrointestinal toxicity

It is estimated that at least 50 million people in the United States suff er from chronic pain conditions while an additional 25 million people suff er from acute pain [1]. Pain aff ects patient quality of life and is a major reason for healthcare utilization [2], accounting for 20% of outpatient visits and 12% of all prescriptions [3]. Nonsteroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain a main stay of therapy due to their effi cacy as anti-infl ammatory/anal gesic agents. In 2004, persons in the United States spent more than $2.5 billion on over-the-counter NSAIDs and fi lled more than 100 million NSAID prescriptions [4]. Worldwide, over 73,000,000 prescriptions for NSAIDs are written each year [5].