Tetsuo ArakawaYasuhiro FujiwaraJose D. SollanoQi ZhuUdom KachintornAbdul Aziz RaniKi Baik HahmShin Ichi TakahashiTakashi JohYoshikazu KinoshitaTakayuki MatsumotoYuji NaitoKoji TakeuchiHirokazu YamagamiNenny AgustantiHuifang XiongXi ChenEun Jung JangKenji FurutaAkira TeranoOsaka City UniversityUniversity of Santo Tomas, ManilaShanghai Second Medical UniversityMahidol UniversityUniversity of Indonesia, RSUPN Dr. Cipto MangunkusumoDaejin Medical CenterKyorin UniversityNagoya City UniversityShimane University School of MedicineHyogo College of MedicineKyoto Prefectural University of MedicineKyoto Pharmaceutical UniversityDokkyo Medical University2018-09-132018-09-132009-04-01Digestion. Vol.79, No.3 (2009), 177-185001228232-s2.0-63349090510https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/28139Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin are widely used clinically but increase the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) complications. Aim: To examine the current prescription of NSAIDs and comedication to prevent GI complications from NSAIDs within East Asia by means of a questionnaire survey. Methods: Representative members of the Committee of the International Gastrointestinal Consensus Symposium provided a questionnaire to physicians in 6 East Asian countries. Results: A total of 1,568 physicians participated in this survey. Most physicians prescribed nonselective NSAIDs, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (COXIBs) or aspirin for more than 5 patients per week in all countries, with the exception of the prescription of COXIBs in Japan. Of the nonselective NSAIDs, the drug most frequently prescribed as a first choice was loxoprofen (34%), which was mainly prescribed in Japan, followed by diclofenac (30%). The frequency of prescription of comedication with nonselective NSAIDs was higher compared with that for selective COXIBs or aspirin. Physicians in the northern region (China, Japan and Korea) preferred mucoprotective drugs for comedication with NSAIDs or aspirin, while those in southern region (Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand) frequently used proton-pump inhibitors. Conclusion: Among East Asian countries, there are both similarities and differences in the prescription of NSAIDs and of comedication to prevent GI complications. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.Mahidol UniversityMedicineArticleSCOPUS10.1159/000211713