| Theme | Controversies in the Drug Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | COX-2 Inhibitors -- Deleterious to the Stomach ? | |
| Publish Date | 1999/11 | |
| Author | Shingo Tsuji | Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] | Conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit the constitutive isozyme of cyclooxygenase(COX-1) in stomach and thereby are deleterious to the stomach. On the other hand, inhibitors of the inducible isozyme(COX-2) do not inhibit COX-1, and are believed to be less injurious to the stomach. However, COX-2 is upregulated in damaged gastric mucosa and in human stomachs infected with Helicobacter pylori. Although COX-2 inhibitors are truly safer than conventional COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors, they should be carefully prescribed to patients with various gastrointestinal disorders. | |