Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can have severe gastrointestinal effects and cause peptic ulcers to bleed. Acute bleeding from oesophageal varices is a major complication of cirrhosis of the liver.
Aims: To investigate the role, using a case-control study, of NSAIDs in first bleeding episodes associated with oesophageal or cardial varices in cirrhotic patients.