Characteristics of Hemorrhagic Peptic Ulcers in Patients Receiving Antithrombotic/Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug Therapy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Antithrombotic/nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) therapies increase the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The features of hemorrhagic peptic ulcer disease in patients receiving antithrombotic/NSAID therapies were investigated. METHODS: We investigated the medical records of 485 consecutive patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and were diagnosed with hemorrhagic gastroduodenal ulcers. The patients treated with antithrombotic agents/NSAIDs were categorized as the antithrombotic therapy (AT) group (n=213). The patients who were not treated with antithrombotics/NSAIDs were categorized as the control (C) group (n=263). The clinical characteristics were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The patients in the AT group were significantly older than those in the C group (p<0.0001). The hemoglobin levels before/without transfusion were significantly lower in the AT group (8.24+/-2.41 g/dL) than in the C group (9.44+/-2.95 g/dL) (p<0.0001). After adjusting for age, the difference in the hemoglobin levels between the two groups remained significant (p=0.0334). The transfusion rates were significantly higher in the AT group than in the C group (p=0.0002). However, the outcome of endoscopic hemostasis was similar in the AT and C groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with hemorrhagic peptic ulcers receiving antithrombotic/NSAID therapies were exposed to a greater risk of severe bleeding that required transfusion but were still treatable by endoscopy.

The Current Strategy for Managing Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an inherited autosomal dominant disease presenting with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs), parathyroid tumors, or pituitary tumors. Using the PubMed database, we reviewed the literature on information regarding the proper diagnosis and treatment of MEN1-associated pNET. Many cases of MEN1-associated pNET are functioning pNETs. Gastrinomas and insulinomas tend to occur frequently in the duodenum and pancreas, respectively. In addition to diagnostic imaging, the selective arterial secretagogue injection test (SASI test) is useful for localizing functioning pNET. The standard treatment is surgical resection. However, in the case of a functioning pNET, the tumor should first be accurately located using the SASI test before an appropriate surgical method is selected. In cases of a MEN1-associated non-functioning pNET that exceeds 2 cm in diameter, the incidence of distant metastasis is significantly increased, and surgery is recommended. In cases of unresectable pNET, a somatostatin analog has been shown to demonstrate antitumor effects and is considered to be a promising treatment. In addition, molecular-targeted drugs have recently been found to be effective in phase III clinical trials.

Conference Report: Korea-Japan Symposium on Autoimmune Pancreatitis

A consensus meeting on autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) was held in Seoul on August 31, 2007. Many Korean and Japanese gastroenterologist interested in AIP participated in the joint symposium, and issues related to histology, radiology, clinical manifestation, serology, and diagnostic criteria were discussed. This joint meeting indicated the need for unified diagnostic criterion for AIP in Korea and Japan. Here, we provide a summary of the symposium presentations and discussions.