Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of aspirin compared with clopidogrel in patients with previous gastrointestinal bleed were eligible for inclusion. Included studies had to describe the recurrence of gastrointestinal bleed. The patients in the included studies were mainly male and Asian. Patients received aspirin (80mg to 100mg daily) with either esomeprazole or clopidogrel (75mg daily). Indications for aspirin were coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular insufficiency, peripheral vascular disease, ischaemic heart disease and stroke/transient ischaemic attack in the included studies. Follow-up was 52 weeks in one study and median 12 months in the other.
The authors stated neither how the papers were selected for the review nor how many reviewers performed the selection.