Aspirin Essay

846 Words2 Pages

Introduction Aspirin is one of the most commonly used drug in the world. The generic name is acetyl salicylic acid and the drug belongs to the group of non- steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, which works by inhibiting the production of compounds in the body that cause pain, fever, inflammation, and blood clots (Koester, 1993. Aspirin is also a member of the salicylate family of compounds as it synthetized from salicylic acid, which was discovered in oxford (UK) by Edward stone in 1793 and first synthetized in laboratory in 1897 by a German scientist, Felix Hoffmann of the Bayer company (Rinsema, 1999). The drug is also known as Acetoxybenzoic acid, Acylpyrin, Ecotrin, Acenterine, Polopiryna, Acetosal, Colfarit and is prescribed for e.g. migraine, headache, back and muscle pain, arthritis, heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin is used in both human and veterinary medicine. Chemical and physical characteristics The chemical formula of aspirin is C9H8O4 with a molecular weight …show more content…

These can be mild or severe and are not experienced by all users. Side effects occur more frequently with high doses and long period treatment and involves more commonly the gastrointestinal system. Use of aspirin can cause ulcers, stomach bleeding and in some cases perforation of the stomach (Kwok and Loke, 2010). This is due to the interaction of the drug with COX-1 in the gastrointestinal tract. COX-1 is important for the maintain of a tick stomach lining and when the enzyme is disable by a regular use of the drug, a thinning of the mucus that protect the stomach from the gastric juices occurs, causing the side effects mentioned above. Other side effects effect include e.g. heartburn or indigestion, abdominal cramps or discomfort, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, mouth and throat swelling and symptoms of an allergic reaction . In any cases, the use of the drug should be stopped immediately and a medical attention

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