AMSA Basic Nursing 103 Practice Test

NSAIDs increase risk to both the stomach and kidneys because they inhibit prostaglandin production, which normally protects the gastric mucosa and helps maintain renal blood flow. Without these protective prostaglandins, the stomach lining is more susceptible to irritation and ulcers, leading to GI bleeding, and the kidneys can receive less blood flow, risking kidney injury. That’s why the major risk factors to watch with NSAID use are gastrointestinal bleeding risk and potential kidney injury, with particular caution in people with peptic ulcers or chronic kidney disease. These drugs do not cure ulcers and they do not protect kidney function; in fact, they can worsen both conditions.