Gastro-intestinal bleeding in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: the effects of azapropazone treatment.

A comparative study was carried out, using the Cr51 red blood cell labelling method, to assess the amount of gastro-intestinal blood loss in 20 rheumatoid arthritis patients taking either 600 mg. or 1200 mg. azapropazone daily. The results demonstrate that azapropazone does not produce greater than normal gastro-intestinal bleeding, that the volume of faecal blood loss is not dose-related, and there would not appear to be any correlation between blood loss and the occasional mild gastro-intestinal side-effects reported in a few patients. These results compared favourably with those obtained previously by the investigators in a similar group of patients taking 3 g. aspirin per day.