Each year in the U.S., cardiovascular disease claims more lives than the next seven leading causes of mortality combined. During 1999, it was estimated that more than 59 million Americans had one or more types of cardiovascular disease; in 1996 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), cardiovascular disease had been at least [...]

During the past two decades, numerous studies have quantified the relative risk for the development of gastrointestinal injury in patients receiving aspirin or nonselective COX-1/COX-2 NSAIDs.

Gastrointestinal side effects associated with NSAID and aspirin use range in severity from minor, superficial mucosal injury to ul-ceration, perforation, gastric outlet obstruction, and hemorrhage. These effects represent a substantial source of drug-induced morbidity and mortality among Americans. Hospitalizations resulting from gastrointestinal disorders are at least six times more frequent in patients with arthritis who [...]

The physiological reaction to injury, noxious agents, and autoimmune-triggered substances consists of an innate, non-immunologic response and an acquired, specific immune re-sponse. During this highly complex repertoire of responses, referred to as the inflammatory reaction (Figure 1), numerous mediators of inflammation (e.g., eicosanoids, histamine, platelet-activating factor [PAF], bradykinin, and cytokines) are synthesized or released. Of [...]

Introduction
Between 10% and 15% of older Americans use a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) at least once daily. In addition, it is estimated that the use of over-the-counter nonprescription NSAIDs, which include aspirin, may be five to seven times greater than for prescribed NSAIDs. Numerous studies have confirmed that NSAIDs are clinically effective analgesic agents [...]