SSRIs and Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Author Information
Author(s): Alfonso Carvajal, Sara Ortega, Lourdes del Olmo, Xavier Vidal, Carmelo Aguirre, Borja Ruiz, Anita Conforti, Roberto Leone, Paula López-Vázquez, Adolfo Figueiras, Luisa Ibáñez
Primary Institution: Instituto de Farmacoepidemiología, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
Hypothesis
Is there a significant association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and upper gastrointestinal bleeding?
Conclusion
The study found no significant increase in upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated with SSRIs.
Supporting Evidence
- 4.0% of cases and 3.3% of controls used an SSRI in the week before bleeding.
- No significant risk of upper GI bleeding was found for SSRIs.
- The study included 581 cases and 1358 controls.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether a common type of antidepressant called SSRIs causes stomach bleeding. It found that they don't seem to increase the risk of bleeding.
Methodology
A case-control study was conducted in hospitals in Spain and Italy, comparing patients with upper GI bleeding to matched controls.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias as cases were collected from hospitals while controls were from elective surgeries.
Limitations
The study may have selection bias due to using hospitalized controls, and the sample size limited subgroup analyses.
Participant Demographics
Patients aged ≥18 years, with cases having a primary diagnosis of acute upper GI bleeding.
Statistical Information
P-Value
1.06
Confidence Interval
0.57–1.96
Statistical Significance
p>0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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