Gastrointestinal Blood Loss in Arthritic Patients Receiving Chronic Dosing with Etodolac and Piroxicam

Etodolac, a new anti-inflammatory analgesic drug found to be effective in treating arthritis in a dose range of 100 to 300mg bid, has been shown to induce significantly less gastrointestinal microbleeding in normal men than several other NSAIDs. In this study, the effect on gastrointestinal blood loss of high-dose etodolac, 300 and 500mg bid, versus piroxicam at its normal therapeutic dose of 20mg qd, was investigated by the 51Cr method in 23 men with osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis. Placebo periods preceded and followed 28 days of active drug treatment. Blood and stool analyses were performed by an analyst not aware of drug assignment or study design. Patients receiving piroxicam, but not those receiving either dose of etodolac, had a significantly higher mean level of fecal blood loss in the active treatment phase compared with the pretreatment placebo level (p