Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hospital admission for perforated peptic ulcer.

The frequency of hospital admission for perforated ulcer was not measurably affected by concurrent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) during nearly 30 million person-days of NSAID use at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. Whether patients had ever used cimetidine or antacids, drugs which indicate the presence of ulcer disease or symptoms, was strongly predictive of perforation in the same population (rate ratio 5.1; 95% CI 2.6-10.0). Perforation rates increased sharply with age but were similar for men and women.