Reappraisal of the effects of aspirin on the stomach.

In a survey of the published evidence linking aspirin ingestion to gastric mucosal damage an attempt has been made to assess the role of aspirin in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic gastric haemorrhage and peptic ulceration. It seems that aspirin ingestion rarely causes clinically significant gastric damage in normal subjects and then usually only with large or frequent doses. Even in these rare instances the specific role of aspirin remains uncertain.