Study-specific characteristics
| Summary of study characteristics | Studies total | Studies with bleeding | Studies without bleeding | p Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studies included (%) | 159 | 72 (45.3) | 87 (54.7) | |
| Year of publication, median | 1998 | 1999 | 0.109 | |
| Description of adverse effect (%) | ||||
| Bleeding | 59 (81.9) | 0 | ||
| Perforation | 7 (9.7) | 0 | ||
| Bleeding and perforation | 6 (8.3) | 0 | ||
| Peptic ulcer only | 4 | |||
| Level of care (%) | ||||
| Hospitalised | 103 | 67 (93.1) | 36 (41.4) | <0.001 |
| Ambulant | 56 | 5 (6.9) | 51 (58.6) | |
| Use of concomitant medication (%) | ||||
| No concomitant medication described | 24 | 11 (15.3) | 13 (14.9) | |
| Concomitant medication described | 135 | 61 (84.7) | 74 (85.1) | |
| NSAIDs/ASA | 19 | 11 (15.3) | 8 (9.2) | 0.326 |
| Gastroprotective drugs | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0.002 |
| Exclusion criteria (%) | ||||
| Recent/ongoing peptic ulcer | 36 | 14 (19.4) | 22 (25.3) | 0.237 |
| Previous/history of peptic ulcer | 17 | 6 (8.3) | 11 (12.6) | |
| Study size, number of participants | ||||
| Median (IQR) | 86 (49.0–181.0) | 100 (60.3–246.5) | 70 (40.0–128.0) | 0.104 |
| Duration of treatment, days | ||||
| Median (IQR) | 8.5 (3.3–28.0) | 6.0 (3.0–12.0) | 14 (4.0–45.0) | 0.061 |
| Duration of follow-up, days | ||||
| Median (IQR) | 56 (21.0–243.8) | 33 (21.0–180.0) | 58 (19.5–286.5) | 0.057 |
ASA, acetylsalicylic acid; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PPIs, proton pump inhibitors.