Intestinal permeability and inflammation in patients on NSAIDs.

BACKGROUND: The frequency with which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase small intestinal permeability and cause inflammation is uncertain. AIMS: To examine small intestinal permeability and inflammation in a large number of patients on long term NSAIDs. METHODS: Sixty eight patients receiving six different NSAIDs for over six months underwent combined absorption-permeability tests at three different test dose osmolarities (iso-, hypo-, and hyperosmolar). Two hundred and eighty six patients on 12 different NSAIDs underwent indium-111 white cell faecal excretion studies to assess the prevalence and severity of intestinal inflammation. RESULTS: The iso- and hyperosmolar tests showed significant malabsorption of 3-0-methyl-D-glucose, D-xylose, and L-rhamnose. Intestinal permeability changes were significantly more pronounced and frequent with the hypo- and hyperosmolar as opposed to the iso-osmolar test. Sequential studies showed that four and nine patients (of 13) developed inflammation after three and six months treatment with NSAIDs, respectively. There was no significant difference (p>0.1) in the prevalence (54-72%) or severity of intestinal inflammation in the 286 patients taking the various NSAIDs apart from those on aspirin and nabumetone, these having no evidence of intestinal inflammation. There was no significant correlation between the inflammatory changes and age, sex, dose of NSAID, length of disease, or NSAID ingestion. CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal permeability test dose composition is an important factor when assessing the effects of NSAIDs on intestinal integrity. All the conventional NSAIDs studied were equally associated with small intestinal inflammation apart from aspirin and nabumetone which seem to spare the small bowel.

Metronidazole reduces intestinal inflammation and blood loss in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug induced enteropathy.

This study assessed the effect of metronidazole on the gastroduodenal mucosa, intestinal permeability, blood loss, and inflammation in patients on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Thirteen patients were studied before and after 2-12 weeks' treatment with metronidazole 800 mg/day, while maintaining an unchanged NSAID intake. Intestinal inflammation, as assessed by the faecal excretion of indium-111 labelled neutrophils, and blood loss, assessed with chromium-51 labelled red cells, were significantly reduced after treatment (mean (SD) 111In excretion 4.7 (4.7)% v 1.5 (1.3)% (N < 1.0%), p < 0.001, 51Cr red cells loss 2.6 (1.6) ml/day v 0.9 (0.5) ml/day (N < 1.0 ml/day), p < 0.01). Intestinal permeability assessed as the 5 hour urinary excretion ratio of 51CrEDTA/L-rhamnose did not change significantly (0.133 (0.046) v 0.154 (0.064), p > 0.1) and there were no significant changes in the endoscopic or microscopic appearances of the gastroduodenal mucosa. These results suggest that the neutrophil is the main damaging effector cell in NSAID induced enteropathy. The main neutrophil chemo-attractant in this enteropathy may be a metronidazole sensitive microbe.

"Diaphragm-like" strictures of the small bowel in patients treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The radiological findings are described in four patients who developed strictures of the small bowel, and who had received non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for 1.5-15 years. Clinical presentation was that of subacute small bowel obstruction. Small bowel barium studies showed multiple discrete strictures. Some strictures were indistinguishable from those of regional enteritis. Others however were narrow "diaphragm-like" septae encroaching on and markedly narrowing the ileal lumen, and shown histologically to be due to submucosal fibrosis. It is suggested that these strictures are likely to be consequent on NSAIDs administration and that radiologists and surgeons need to be aware of these "diaphragms" which can be very difficult to detect on barium examination, either small bowel follow-through or enteroclysis, and at laparotomy.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug-induced intestinal inflammation in humans.

This study examines the effects of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs on the small intestine in humans. Using an 111In-leukocyte technique in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 90) and osteoarthritis (n = 7), it appears that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs cause small intestinal inflammation in two-thirds of patients on long-term treatment and on discontinuation, the inflammation may persist for up to 16 mo. The prevalence and magnitude of the intestinal inflammation was unrelated to the type and dose of nonsteroidal drugs and previous or concomitant second-line drug treatment. There was a significant inverse correlation (r = -0.29, p less than 0.05) between fecal 111In excretion and hemoglobin levels in patients treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. The kinetics of fecal indium 111 excretion in patients treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs was almost identical to that of patients with small bowel Crohn's disease. Eighteen patients on nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs underwent a radiologic examination of the small bowel and 3 were found to have asymptomatic ileal disease with ulceration and strictures. Nineteen patients on nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, 20 healthy controls, and 13 patients with Crohn's ileitis underwent a dual radioisotopic ileal function test with tauro 23 (75Se) selena-25-homocholic acid and cobalt 58-labeled cyanocobalamine. On day 4, more than half of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis had evidence of bile acid malabsorption, but the ileal dysfunction was much milder than seen in patients with Crohn's ileitis.

Blood and protein loss via small-intestinal inflammation induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Nearly three-quarters of patients on long-term treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have small-intestinal inflammation, the consequences of which are largely unknown. Two potentially important complications, blood and protein loss from the small intestine, have been studied. 49 patients on NSAIDs underwent study with an indium-111 labelled leucocyte technique which localises and measures intestinal inflammation. 32 patients underwent simultaneous study with technetium-99m labelled red blood cells (RBC), which showed identical sites of localisation to 111In-leucocytes in 19. Intestinal blood loss was measured in 8 patients by use of chromium-51 labelled RBC, and a significant correlation between blood loss and intestinal inflammation was found. Intestinal protein loss was assessed in 9 patients with 51Cr-labelled proteins; patients with NSAID-induced small-intestinal inflammation were found to have a protein-losing enteropathy. These studies show that small intestinal inflammation caused by NSAIDs is associated with blood and protein loss, both of which may contribute to the general ill-health of rheumatic patients.

The pathogenesis and consequence of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug induced small intestinal inflammation in man.

Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) have recently been shown to cause small intestinal inflammation in the majority of patients receiving these on a regular basis for more than one year. The development of inflammation is preceded by an NSAID effect to increase small intestinal permeability. Increased intestinal permeability is shown to be related to drug potency to inhibit cyclooxygenase and the effect is systemically mediated rather than a local irritant one. More recently, increased intestinal permeability due to NSAID's has been reduced by concomitant prostaglandin administration, showing that prostaglandins are essential for maintaining intestinal integrity in man. It is proposed that altered intestinal permeability allows the mucosa to be exposed to bacterial degradation products or other toxins and together with reduced chemotaxic response and altered neutrophil function due to NSAID's, this series of events leads to bacterial invasion of the mucosa which is evident by the techniques of 111Indium leucocyte scans and faecal collections. The consequence of such inflammation is that it may explain intestinal perforations and strictures which are occasionally seen in subjects on NSAID's. Most patients with NSAID-induced small intestinal inflammation may be bleeding from the intestine, loosing protein and some have ileal dysfunction. The small intestine may be a greater source of morbidity than the stomach, in patients receiving NSAID's.

Effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the human small intestine.

The suggestion that the intestinal mucosa may be abnormally permeable and thus a site of antigen absorption in rheumatoid arthritis was tested by a 51Cr EDTA intestinal permeability test. Twelve patients with rheumatoid arthritis untreated by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had normal test results, while 12 NSAID-treated patients had increased intestinal permeability. Ten volunteers ingested aspirin, ibuprofen and indomethacin 8 and 1 hours before the study. The increased intestinal permeability was proportional to drug potency to inhibit cyclo-oxygenase. Intestinal permeability also increased following an indomethacin suppository, which suggests that the effect is systemically mediated. 111Indium leucocyte scintigrams and faecal collection showed no evidence of intestinal inflammation in 9 patients untreated by NSAIDs. Twenty-nine of 53 NSAID-treated patients showed abnormal localisation of 111indium in the right iliac fossa at 20 hours, and 32 of 49 patients had increased faecal excretion of 111indium. A 99mTc-porphyrin scan suggested that the main site of NSAID-induced intestinal inflammation was the small bowel. NSAIDs are thus shown to disrupt intestinal integrity and long term treatment leads to inflammation of the small intestine.