ABSTRACT
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we tested the preventive effect of lansoprazole on aspirin-induced gastric mucosal damage. The subjects received 30 mg lansoprazole [n:20] or a placebo [n:16] at night, and 12 hours later received a placebo or 1 gm aspirin The gastric mucosa was graded by endoscopists 4 hours after the administration of aspirin using a seven-point endoscopic scale. The gastric mucosa of the subjects who had taken a placebo scored a damage of 4.1 +/- 0.4 [mean +/- SD]. Lansoprazole significantly prevented gastric mucosal injury [63%] with a mean endoscopic score of 1.5 +/- 0.3 compared to the placebo-aspirin group [p<0.0003]. This study demonstrates that lansoprazole has a statistically significant preventive effect on aspirin induced gastric lesions. The preventive effect of lansoprazole may prove to be very important clinically and warrants further investigation