Combining Aspirin With Acid Blocker Reduces Bleeding Aug 13, 2008
At prescription costs, however, PPIs are cost-effective only for elderly patients and patients at high risk for upper GI bleeding. Our study was also able to demonstrate that, for patients at an average risk for GI bleeding, starting PPI cotherapy at a younger age was marginally cost-effective, while starting PPI cotherapy at an older age was highly cost effective, says Sameer Dev Saini, M.D., M.S., clinical lecturer in the Division of Gastroenterology at the U-M Medical School ... While not... (Newsmax)
GI Bleeding After Stroke Raises Death Risk Aug 8, 2008
Aside from a tripling of mortality in the hospital, stroke patients with GI bleeding were also 1 ... O'Donnell noted that the relatively small number of patients he and his team tracked makes it difficult to definitively identify what type of stroke patients are at highest risk for GI bleeding -- although that is something he and his colleagues hope to explore down the road ... "In the U.S.," he noted, "we treat all our stroke patients with preventive prophylactic therapy to prevent GI bleeding,... (MEDLINEplus)
Gastrointestinal bleeding after stroke may be fatal Aug 7, 2008
WASHINGTON (Xinhua): People who have gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding after a stroke are more likely to die or become severely disabled than stroke sufferers with no GI bleeding, according to a study published in the Aug. 6 online issue of U.S. journal Neurology ... 5 percent, had GI bleeding while they were in the hospital from the stroke ... In more than half of the cases, the GI bleeding occurred in people who had mild to moderate strokes. (Hindu)
Antidepressants tied to gastrointestinal bleeding Jul 8, 2008
"People with other relevant risk factors for GI bleeding should be considered for protecting their stomach with acid-suppressing agents. By no means, patients treated correctly with SSRIs should discontinue their treatment because of the fear (of having) a GI bleeding risk," de Abajo added. Such risk factors for gastrointestinal bleeding include a peptic ulcer or being elderly, he said. (Reuters India)
Bowel prep oral sodium phosphate equal to fasting before capsule endoscopy for obscure GI bleeding Jun 18, 2008
Capsule endoscopy can be used to diagnose hidden GI bleeding, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and other malabsorption problems, tumors (benign and malignant), vascular malformations, medication injury, and to a lesser extent, esophageal disease ... "The aim of our study was to compare bowel preparation with oral sodium phosphate versus none, without prokinetic, for capsule endoscopy examination of the small bowel in obscure GI bleeding," said study lead author Marie-George Lapalus, MD, Hopital... (EurekAlert!)
Your Health This Week May 14, 2008
Like all anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen can intensely irritate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes leading to severe and life-threatening GI bleeding. In addition, when ibuprofen is taken along with the daily baby aspirin often recommended to decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes, it interferes with the beneficial effects of the aspirin, rendering it useless. (Slate)
Complications of Liver Cirrhosis May 11, 2008
If these veins burst, upper GI bleeding results. Additionally, the blood can back up far enough and enter other veins going directly into the inferior vena cava (portosystemic shunt). (Suite101.com)
Everything you ever wanted to know about poo Mar 31, 2008
GI bleeding can develop gradually over time, he said, so paying attention to bowel movements can help to catch it -- and its cause -- early on. (To that end, he and Richman are releasing a second book, "", this spring. (Reuters)
ASGE offers guidelines on endoscopic treatment of dyspepsia Dec 22, 2007
Alarm features include new onset of symptoms in someone over 50, family history of upper-GI malignancy, unintended weight loss, GI bleeding or iron deficiency anemia, progressive trouble swallowing, pain with swallowing, persistent vomiting, palpable mass or lymphadenopathy, and jaundice. The guidelines recommend that patients older than 50 years of age with recent onset of dyspepsia or patients of any age with alarm features should undergo an endoscopy. (EurekAlert!)
More of this story Nov 20, 2007
We arm diabetics with sliding scale insulin, perform repeated limb amputations, we give chemo to the lung cancer patient who goes outside and smokes cigarettes between treatments, we resuscitate the obese, hypertensive, cardiac patient and perform open heart surgery multiple times, we treat the alcoholics GI bleeding, and cirrhosis. But we continue to treat the patient struggling with opiate dependence differently believing that because they are addicted, they made the choice to be addicted. (Patriot Ledger, MA)
Kurdish Turks: Waiting for US Oct 24, 2007
America: PostGlobal on washingtonpost. Kurdish Turks: Waiting for U.S.. (Washington Post)
Antidepressants Boost Gastrointestinal Bleeding Risk Oct 16, 2007
MedlinePlus: Antidepressants Boost GI Bleeding Risk. Antidepressants Boost GI Bleeding Risk ... They found that those taking SSRIs were nearly twice as likely to develop upper GI bleeding as people who weren't taking the drugs. (MEDLINEplus)
Anti-inflammatory drugs: When to use? Oct 11, 2007
Regarding the side effects associated with anti-inflammatories, the most common are GI bleeding and peptic ulcers. However the side effects can be more extensive. (Saugus Advertiser, MA)
Residents' Shorter Work Hours Don't Affect Patients' Mortality Sep 6, 2007
The decrease occurred among a limited group of patients with four common medical conditions, mainly MI, but also congestive heart failure, GI bleeding, and stroke ... All Medicare patients had principal diagnoses of acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, GI bleeding, or stroke or a diagnosis-related group classification of general, orthopedic, or vascular surgery. (MedPage Today)
Misconceptions Linger Around Irritable Bowel Syndrome Apr 21, 2007
It doesn't require a lot of medical testing to diagnose IBS. "Identifying the presence of persistent recurrent abdominal pain in association with altered bowel habits, and excluding warning signs (e.g. new symptoms occurring after age 50, GI bleeding, unexplained weight loss, nocturnal diarrhea, severe or progressively worse symptoms or a family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer or celiac disease), is enough to accurately diagnose IBS in most patients," Chey said.... (Health-Finder)
Prilosec Helps Control Bleeding in Ulcer Patients Apr 20, 2007
For this study, 638 people admitted to a hospital with upper GI bleeding were stabilized and then randomly assigned to receive either Prilosec or a placebo before their endoscopy, scheduled for the next morning. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the amount of blood transfused or the number of patients who had recurrent bleeding, who underwent emergency surgery or who died within 30 days. (MEDLINEplus)
ASGE Foundation Establishes AstraZeneca Research Endowment Fund Dec 28, 2006
Widespread use of high-quality colonoscopy is largely credited for the recent decline in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in the U.S. -- GI bleeding - Improve endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of life- threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. Increasingly, potentially fatal hemorrhage from ulcers, varices, vascular lesions, and other mucosal disorders are quickly definitively controlled using a single endoscopic exam coupled with the use of newly developed methods to control bleeding,... (PR Newswire)
Merck's Vioxx Replacement Gets Mixed Reviews Nov 15, 2006
The newer cox-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex don't have the problem of GI bleeding but recently were found to increase the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack. "Overall, this was about a 40 percent increase in cardiovascular events seen with similarity across different agents," Cannon said. (MEDLINEplus)
For Many Women, Daily Aspirin Can Protect the Heart Nov 6, 2006
But not every woman is a candidate for the therapy, so check with your doctor first. By Kathleen DohenyHealthDay Reporter. (Health-Finder)
medical examinerShould you take a daily baby aspirin?Sydney Spiesel Oct 13, 2006
Some people are at unusually high risk for heart attack, a risk much higher than that of GI bleeding or perforation ... At the low-risk end of the spectrumfemale patients under 60 years old, for instanceaspirin adds only a small amount of risk for GI bleeding or perforation. (Slate)
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Associated With Higher Gastrointestinal Complications Sep 22, 2006
Patients who are at greater risk of GI bleeding should receive NSAIDs with lower GI risks, such as nsNSAIDs; patients with a greater risk of cardiovascular events should not receive COX-2 inhibitors; and patients with known or a high risk of cardiovascular disease should receive low-dose aspirin. Limit the duration and dosage of the prescribed NSAID and ask about and advise their patients on combination NSAID therapy. (Science Daily)
Long-term Ibuprofen Regimen After Brain Injury Worsens Cognition In Animal Study Jul 22, 2006
Posted: July 21, 2006. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that chronic ibuprofen therapy given after brain injury worsens cognitive abilities. (Science Daily)
Virginia Mason is Recognized by U.S. News & World Report in America's Best Hospitals Ranking Jul 8, 2006
Richard Kozarek, MD, Director of the Digestive Disease Institute at Virginia Mason said, "Patients come from all over the world to receive care from our interdisciplinary medical team for gastroenterology (GI) disorders and we take great pride in this recognition. Pancreatic cancer, screening for polyps or cancer with colonoscopy, therapeutic endoscopic cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), occult GI bleeding and inflammatory bowel disease -- no matter what the disease challenge is, we're focused on... (PR Newswire)
Heartburn Drug Limits Bleeding During Long Races May 27, 2006
Histamine H2 receptor antagonists, drugs traditionally used to treat ulcers, are ineffective for preventing GI bleeding during long distance runs, the researchers say. They therefore evaluated the effects of a proton pump inhibitor, a type of drug used to treat severe heartburn caused by erosive esophagitis associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease. (MEDLINEplus)
Nexium shown to reduce gastric ulcers in at-risk patients using long-term NSAIDS Mar 23, 2006
At the time of the study, patients were free of ulcers and Helicobacter pylori infection and showed no evidence of GI bleeding or perforation within the prior six months. AstraZeneca Rden, funded the study through a research grant. (EurekAlert!)
