Antibiotics and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Outpatient Practice: Indications and Unwanted Effects in a Gastroenterological Setting

Title:Antibiotics and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Outpatient Practice: Indications and Unwanted Effects in a Gastroenterological Setting

Volume: 9 Issue: 2

Author(s): Giovanni C. Actis, Rinaldo Pellicano, Maurizio Fadda and Floriano Rosina

Affiliation:

Keywords: Antibiotics, inflammatory bowel disease, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, outpatient.

Abstract: Objective: To explore the type and frequency of the unwanted effects following use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics in a gastroenterological out-patient setting.

Methods: We analyzed a gastroenterological database which includes 151 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients followed between January 2008 and December 2009. The key-words included NSAIDs and antibiotics.

Results: Of 19 cases treated with NSAIDs, 8 displayed convincing evidence linking them with the subsequent development of IBD. Of 44 antibiotic mentions, 7 documents alluded to macrolide prescriptions, which were followed by induction or relapse of IBD in 5; all of the newly diagnosed cases of IBD were endoscopically proven, and one ran a fulminant course requiring emergency colectomy; 4 of 5 prescriptions of amoxycillin/clavulanic acid were accompanied by toxicity (three hepatitides and one reactivated IBD). Overall, the frequency of unwanted effects was 36% for both NSAIDs and antibiotics.

Conclusion: We suggest that NSAIDs and antibiotics (specifically of the macrolide structure) can induce gut and hepatic damage, significantly enhancing co-morbidities in gastroenterologic out-patients, with break of cost-containment guidelines. Therefore, caution is advisable in prescribing NSAIDs and antibiotics in this setting. Though retrospective and possibly biased, the current data coincide with both bench work and epidemiological evidence.

Cite this article as:

Actis C. Giovanni, Pellicano Rinaldo, Fadda Maurizio and Rosina Floriano, Antibiotics and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Outpatient Practice: Indications and Unwanted Effects in a Gastroenterological Setting, Current Drug Safety 2014; 9 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1574886309666140120095233