NSAID-induced gastropathy in a comorbid patient in a multidisciplinary hospital

Abstract

The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate the importance of outpatient management of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients, especially those at risk (elderly patients, alcohol abusers, patients with a history of peptic ulcer disease, patients taking glucocorticoids or anticoagulants) to avoid life-threatening complications. The following clinical case shows the association between gastric and duodenal mucosal barrier disruption and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Methods: a complete blood count, blood biochemistry test, ultrasound, and abdominal radiography. Results. The clinical case describes a patient with coronary heart disease, ischemic cardiomyopathy, hypertension, permanent atrial fibrillation, impaired glucose tolerance, obesity, and a long history of smoking who had been taking 1–2 tablets of Nimesulide per day for a long time without doctor’s prescription; the intake of NSAIDs was not controlled on an outpatient basis. The reason for hospitalization was sharp pain in the epigastrium; the plain abdominal radiography in the emergency room revealed free gas below both domes of the diaphragm, and ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity showed a level of inhomogeneous free fluid detected in all sloping areas and pneumatosis intestinalis. In this regard, the patient was urgently hospitalized to the department of surgery, where surgical intervention was performed, including upper-middle laparotomy, abdominoscopy, suture repair of the perforated gastric ulcer, and sanitation and drainage of the abdominal cavity. Conclusion. This clinical case draws attention to the problem of NSAID gastropathy in clinical practice. The task of a clinician is to prevent the development of NSAID-induced gastropathy, identify patients with risk factors for NSAID gastropathy at the earliest possible time, and carry out preventive and therapeutic measures. Patient management at the outpatient stage according to the clinical recommendations could have prevented the development of gastrointestinal bleeding associated with NSAID gastropathy.