©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Feb 27, 2026; 18(2): 115830
Published online Feb 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i2.115830
Published online Feb 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i2.115830
Table 1 Baseline characteristics of enrolled patients and comparison between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users and nonusers, n (%)
| Variables | n = 795 | NSAID group (n = 181) | Non-NSAID group (n = 614) | P value |
| Sex, male | 459 (57.74) | 108 (59.67) | 351 (57.17) | 0.549 |
| Age (years) | 55.00 (43.00, 64.50) | 60.00 (52.00, 66.00) | 52.50 (39.00, 62.25) | < 0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.87 ± 3.39 | 23.45±2.73 | 22.39 ± 3.80 | 0.003 |
| Smoking habit | 347 (43.65) | 83 (45.86) | 264 (43.00) | 0.495 |
| Alcohol consumption | 223 (28.05) | 55 (30.39) | 168 (27.36) | 0.426 |
| Comorbidity | ||||
| Hypertension | 305 (38.36) | 92 (50.83) | 213 (34.69) | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 111 (13.96) | 29 (16.02) | 82 (13.36) | 0.363 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 153 (19.25) | 106 (58.56) | 47 (7.65) | < 0.001 |
| Stroke | 59 (7.42) | 46 (25.41) | 13 (2.12) | < 0.001 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 15 (1.89) | 3 (1.66) | 12 (1.95) | 0.796 |
| Renal disease | 14 (1.76) | 5 (2.76) | 9 (1.47) | 0.224 |
| Rheumatic/autoimmune disorders | 23 (2.89) | 19 (10.50) | 4 (1.09) | < 0.001 |
| Presenting symptoms | < 0.001 | |||
| Abdominal pain | 191 (24.02) | 28 (15.47) | 163 (26.55) | |
| Diarrhea | 53 (6.67) | 4 (2.21) | 49 (7.98) | |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding | 483 (60.75) | 140 (77.35) | 343 (55.86) | |
| Abdominal distension | 20 (2.52) | 0 (0.00) | 20 (3.26) | |
| Asymptomatic (health check-up) | 48 (6.04) | 9 (4.97) | 39 (6.35) | |
| Hb (g/L) | 97.92 ± 31.31 | 91.05 ± 26.53 | 99.20 ± 32.00 | 0.058 |
| WBC (× 109/L) | 6.04 ± 4.70 | 5.85 ± 1.97 | 6.07 ± 4.98 | 0.788 |
| Alb (g/L) | 39.26 ± 5.46 | 38.70 ± 5.54 | 39.37 ± 5.45 | 0.440 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 1.46 ± 0.52 | 1.50 ± 0.59 | 1.41 ± 0.43 | 0.103 |
| LDL (mmol/L) | 2.74 (1.69, 3.29) | 2.86 (1.88, 3.42) | 2.49 (1.59, 3.22) | 0.190 |
| HDL (mmol/L) | 1.27 (1.07, 1.43) | 1.25 (1.07, 1.42) | 1.29 (1.16, 1.45) | 0.335 |
| Presence of significant small intestinal lesions | 546 (68.68) | 153 (84.53) | 393 (64.01) | < 0.001 |
| Location of lesions | < 0.001 | |||
| Predominantly jejunal | 177 (22.26) | 85 (46.96) | 92 (14.98) | |
| Predominantly ileal | 173 (21.76) | 31 (17.13) | 142 (23.13) | |
| Both jejunal and ileal | 196 (24.65) | 37 (20.44) | 159 (25.90) | |
| Endoscopic manifestations | ||||
| Erythema | 59 (7.42) | 34 (18.78) | 25 (4.07) | < 0.001 |
| Erosions | 209 (26.29) | 87 (48.07) | 122 (19.87) | < 0.001 |
| Ulcers | 90(11.32) | 32 (17.68) | 58 (9.45) | 0.002 |
| Protrusions | 131 (16.48) | 17 (9.39) | 114 (18.57) | 0.003 |
| Vascular malformations | 115 (14.47) | 17 (9.39) | 98 (15.96) | 0.027 |
| Diverticula | 42 (5.28) | 9 (4.97) | 33 (5.37) | 0.832 |
| Lymphangiectasia | 21(2.64) | 7 (3.87) | 14 (2.28) | 0.242 |
Table 2 Comparison of clinical characteristics between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exposed patients with and without small intestinal mucosal injury, n (%)
| Variables | SIMI group (n = 114) | Non-SIMI group (n = 67) | P value |
| Sex, male | 70 (61.40) | 38 (56.72) | 0.535 |
| Age (years) | 60.64 ± 10.22 | 56.29 ± 9.48 | 0.009 |
| Smoking habit | 60 (52.63) | 23 (34.33) | 0.017 |
| Alcohol consumption | 36 (31.58) | 19 (28.36) | 0.649 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.87 ± 2.67 | 22.73 ± 2.72 | 0.011 |
| Presenting symptoms | 0.627 | ||
| Abdominal pain | 15 (13.16) | 13 (19.40) | |
| Diarrhea | 2 (1.75) | 2 (2.99) | |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding | 91 (79.82) | 49 (73.13) | |
| Asymptomatic (health check-up) | 6 (5.26) | 3 (4.48) | |
| Indications for NSAID use | 0.644 | ||
| Cardiovascular disease | 77 (67.54) | 43 (64.18) | |
| Other | 37 (32.46) | 24 (35.82) | |
| NSAID types | 0.404 | ||
| Aspirin | 88 (77.19) | 48 (71.64) | |
| Other NSAIDs | 26 (22.81) | 19 (28.36) | |
| Prolonged use (≥ 3 months) | 96 (84.21) | 54 (80.60) | 0.533 |
| PPI | 69 (60.52) | 29 (43.28) | 0.025 |
| WBC (× 109/L) | 5.83 ± 2.07 | 5.95 ± 1.55 | 0.887 |
| Hb (g/L) | 89.69 ± 24.28 | 98.19 ± 37.49 | 0.412 |
| Alb (g/L) | 38.36 ± 5.50 | 39.73 ± 5.77 | 0.461 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 1.60 ± 0.62 | 1.34 ± 0.49 | 0.007 |
| LDL (mmol/L) | 3.03 (1.95, 3.51) | 2.36 (1.58, 2.97) | 0.004 |
| HDL (mmol/L) | 1.25 (1.07, 1.42) | 1.25 (1.05, 1.44) | 0.802 |
Table 3 Multivariate analysis identified the risk factors for small intestinal mucosal injury in patients using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, n (%)
| Characteristic | Univariate analysis | Multivariate analysis | ||
| OR (95%CI) | P value | OR (95%CI) | P value | |
| Age | 1.045 (1.010-1.082) | 0.011 | 1.043 (1.003-1.084) | 0.033 |
| Smoking | 2.126 (1.139-3.968) | 0.018 | 2.352 (1.088-5.086) | 0.030 |
| BMI | 1.174 (1.035-1.331) | 0.013 | 1.176 (1.019-1.358) | 0.026 |
| PPI | 2.009 (1.089-3.705) | 0.025 | 2.099 (1.003-4.390) | 0.049 |
| TG | 2.279 (1.232-4.215) | 0.009 | 2.427 (1.196-4.924) | 0.014 |
| LDL | 1.557 (1.107-2.188) | 0.011 | 1.606 (1.089-2.367) | 0.017 |
- Citation: Zhao NH, Zhao LR, Yao J, Niu LY, Yang LJ, Lin YJ, Liu M. Development and validation of a risk prediction model for small intestinal mucosal injury in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(2): 115830
- URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/1948-9366/full/v18/i2/115830.htm
- DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4240/wjgs.v18.i2.115830