Healing and relapse of reflux esophagitis during treatment with ranitidine

[The Mexican consensus on gastroesophageal reflux disease. Part I]

BACKGROUND

The changes, advances, and new discoveries regarding different aspects of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have made it necessary to update the Mexican Consensus published in 2002.

AIMS

To elaborate a new Mexican Consensus on GERD.

METHODS

The general project coordinators selected six GERD experts to carry out an extensive review of the literature for the purpose of elaborating statements on the principal aspects of GERD. These were then placed under the consideration of specialists in the study of this disease. Definitive approval by all participants was reached using the modified Delphi method with three rounds of anonymous and iterative voting. The following scale was employed: A- in complete agreement; B- in agreement, but with minor concerns; C- in agreement, but with major concerns; D- in disagreement, but with major concerns; E- in disagreement, but with minor concerns; or F- in complete disagreement. Consensus was declared when 67.00% or more of the participants concurred on a category of agreement (A, B, or C).

RESULTS

A consensus was reached on 160 of the statements upon completion of the voting rounds, with 90.00% concurrence for the majority of them.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2011 Mexican Consensus on Gastroesophageal Disease is a practical and up-to-date consultation tool, providing the opinion of Mexican experts on all the new information available about this disease. It allows there to be homogeneity in diagnostic and therapeutic criteria, all of which serves to benefit our patients.

The role of proton pump inhibitors in the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Efficacy (healing, symptom relief) and cost-effectiveness are the principal reasons for the rapidly increasing use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

EFFICACY

Mean healing rates pooled from clinical trials are as follows: on omeprazole (OME) 20 mg vs. H2-receptor antagonist. H2RA (cimetidine (CIM) 1.6 g or ranitidine (RAN) 300 mg) (eight studies) at 4 weeks, 67% vs. 37%: at 8 weeks, 81% vs. 49%: on lansoprazole (LAN) 30 mg vs. H2RA (three studies), 83% vs. 47% and 91% vs. 63% at 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. The benefit is greatest in severe disease because the H2RAs are disproportionately less effective. Heartburn is more rapidly relieved and in a higher proportion: at 4 weeks, on OME 20 mg vs. H2RA. 77% vs. 47% and on LAN 30 mg vs. H2RA, 81% vs. 46%. Both PPIs are effective in H2RA-refractory disease, approximately 80% healing occurring in 8 weeks. Relapse rates after healing vary from 25% to 85% at 6 months. Maintenance therapy sustains remissions: relapse at 1 year is, on OME 20 mg vs. RAN 300 mg (2 studies), 12% vs. 79%, and 28% vs. 55% (and 38% on OME 10 mg); on LAN 30 mg vs. 10 mg vs. RAN 600 mg, 20% vs. 31% vs. 68%. The effectiveness of the lower dose allows for dose titration.

COST EFFECTIVENESS

The higher drug costs for the PPIs are offset by their higher efficacy, making their use cost effective, particularly in severe disease. Efficacy and cost effectiveness are likely to further expand the use of PPIs at the expense of H2RAs as increasing numbers of patients with milder disease are treated.

Idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion: treatment implications for refractory acid/peptic disorders

Although in most patients with duodenal ulcer disease the ulcer heals after 8 weeks of treatment with standard doses of H2 blockers or other agents, in about 10% the ulcer does not heal. These patients are considered 'refractory' to treatment. Reasons often cited for non-healing include poor patient compliance, cigarette smoking, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. Gastric acid hypersecretion also appears to be an important factor in non-healing with standard doses of antisecretory agents. We have defined idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion as a basal acid output of greater than 10 mmol/h in the absence of an elevated fasting serum gastrin level (or a negative secretin test if gastrin level greater than 100 pg/ml) to exclude persons with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Among the acid/peptic-related disorders in which idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion should be considered are refractory duodenal ulcer, refractory gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (especially patients with oesophagitis), postbleeding duodenal ulcer, and certain rare disorders such as hereditary angioedema. Some children with atypical abdominal pain may also be hypersecretors of gastric acid. Once identified, patients with refractory duodenal ulcer or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease are treated with incremental doses of ranitidine titrated against the level of gastric acid secretion that remains during therapy. Ranitidine was selected to avoid the dose-related antiandrogenic effects and potential hepatic cytochrome P450 system-related drug interactions that may occur with cimetidine. In most cases of refractory duodenal ulcer, doubling the standard dose of ranitidine (to 300 mg b.d.) is sufficient to achieve symptomatic relief and mucosal healing. Higher doses appear to be necessary for refractory oesophagitis. To date, no side effects have been associated with high doses of ranitidine (up to 1800 mg/day) for periods of longer than 6 months. Idiopathic gastric acid hypersecretion is an important factor in explaining why not all patients respond to a 'standard' ulcer-healing dose of H2 blocker, and it provides a rationale for use of higher-dose therapy as a safe and effective alternative to omeprazole or to combination drug therapy in refractory acid/peptic disease.

Cytochrome P450 2C19 polymorphism influences the preventive effect of lansoprazole on the recurrence of erosive reflux esophagitis

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of lansoprazole (LPZ) at inhibiting gastric acid secretion is influenced by cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) polymorphism. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether CYP2C19 polymorphism had an influence on the remission of erosive reflux esophagitis (RE) during maintenance therapy with LPZ.

METHODS

Eighty-two Japanese patients with initial healing of erosive RE by 8 weeks of LPZ therapy were enrolled. As maintenance therapy, the patients were treated with LPZ (15 mg/day) for 6 months. The CYP2C19 genotype, Helicobacter pylori infection status, and serum pepsinogen (PG) I/II ratio were assessed before treatment. The patients were investigated for relapse by endoscopy at 6 months or when symptoms recurred.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients in remission after 6 months was 61.5%, 78.0%, and 100% among homozygous extensive metabolizers (homo-EM), heterozygous EM (hetero-EM), and poor metabolizers (PM), respectively. The percentage of PM patients who remained in remission was significantly higher than that of homo-EM or hetero-EM.

CONCLUSIONS

The efficacy of LPZ (15 mg/day) as maintenance therapy for erosive RE is influenced by CYP2C19 polymorphism.

Economic evaluation of a randomized trial comparing Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat and prompt endoscopy strategies for managing dyspepsia in a primary-care setting

BACKGROUND

In western European countries, most dyspeptic patients are initially managed by their general practitioners (GPs), who use a range of strategies to manage dyspepsia. We performed an economic analysis of a Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat strategy versus a prompt endoscopy approach in a primary care setting.

METHODS

Data were used from the Strategy: Endoscopy versus Serology (SENSE) study, performed in The Netherlands from 1998 to 2001. Patients were randomized to a prompt endoscopy (n = 105) or test-and-treat (n = 118) group. Follow-up lasted 1 year. Adverse events were not recorded in the SENSE study. Health care costs were based on the total amount of dyspepsia-related drugs used, the number of dyspepsia-related GP visits, the number of diagnostic tests, and the number of dyspepsia-related referrals to specialists. The use of medical resources was calculated as standardized costs for 1999, recorded as euros. (On December 31, 1999, 1.00 Euro = 1.00 US dollar.) Quality of life was measured at inclusion and 1 year later, using the RAND-36 questionnaire. To calculate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), we transformed the individual scores of the RAND-36 into 1 overall score, the Health Utilities Index Mark 2, which introduced a limitation to the study. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated. The 95% confidence limits were calculated using a parametric bootstrap method with angular transformation. All cost data were analyzed from a third-party payer perspective.

RESULTS

The total costs per patient were 511 Euros, with 0.037 QALY gained per patient, in the test-and-treat group, and 748 Euros, with 0.032 QALY gained per patient, in the endoscopy group (between groups, P < 0.001 and P = NS, respectively). The point estimate of the ICER indicated that the test-and-treat strategy yielded cost savings and QALYs gained. Parametric bootstrap confidence limits indicated cost savings per QALY gained in 75.7% of the bootstrap simulations.

CONCLUSION

This analysis of data from the SENSE1026 study suggests that the H pylori test-and-treat strategy was more cost-effective than prompt endoscopy in the initial management of dyspepsia in general practice, from the perspective of a third-party payer.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the sex ratio for Barrett's esophagus, erosive reflux disease, and nonerosive reflux disease

Barrett's esophagus is associated with reflux disease and substantially increases the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. The authors undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of the sex ratio for Barrett's esophagus, erosive reflux disease (ERD), and nonerosive reflux disease (non-ERD) to compare these results with the sex ratio for esophageal adenocarcinoma. MEDLINE (US National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland) (1966-2004) and EMBASE (Reed Elsevier PLC, Amsterdam, Netherlands) (1980-2004) were searched for relevant citations with a highly sensitive search strategy. Studies to be included required a sample size of 50 or more patients and consecutive recruitment at an institute accessible by all. Stata, version 8.2, software (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas) was used to conduct random effects meta-analyses. Excess heterogeneity was investigated by meta-regression. The Barrett's esophagus meta-analysis gave an overall pooled male/female sex ratio of 1.96/1 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.77, 2.17/1). For ERD, the pooled male/female sex ratio was 1.57/1 (95% CI: 1.40, 1.76/1) and, for non-ERD, 0.72/1 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.84/1). All of these estimates were associated with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 81.1%, 92.7%, and 88.8%, respectively). The meta-analysis estimates for ERD and Barrett's esophagus, while showing an excess of males, are substantially lower than similar estimates for esophageal adenocarcinoma. It is important to establish why male Barrett's esophagus and ERD patients are at increased risk of malignancy compared with females.

Histamine-2 receptor antagonists at night improve gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms for patients on proton pump inhibitor therapy

While night-time symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are common, considerable controversy exists regarding the use of histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2Ras) for night-time reflux control. Some studies have suggested possible tolerance to H2RA while others have suggested that long-term efficacy of gastric acid control can be maintained with night-time H2RA use. The aim of this study was to identify if GERD patients have sustained symptom improvement with long-term use of night-time H2RA. Records of 56 consecutive GERD patients on twice daily proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and night-time H2RA therapy were reviewed. During a phone interview patients were asked a 5-item questionnaire, which included overall assessment of symptoms, night-time symptoms, sleep disturbance, duration and frequency of therapy. Of the 56 patients, 39 (31 women, mean age 56) completed the questionnaire (15 were not reached and 2 did not recall enough information). All respondents had taken night-time H2RA for at least 1 month (28/39 patients with > 6 months duration) with 33/39 patients taking H2RAs every night. The addition of H2RA led to an improvement in overall symptoms in 28/39 (72%) patients, improvement in night-time reflux symptoms in 25/34 (74%) patients and improvement of GERD-associated sleep disturbance in 18/27 (67%) patients. Five (13%) patients had stopped the H2RA on their own, stating that its efficacy waned after 1 month. Our results suggest that the majority of patients report persistent improvement in GERD symptoms from night-time H2RA use and that possible clinically important tolerance to H2RAs occurs in a small number of patients. Further prospective, placebo-controlled studies may help confirm that there is a role for night-time H2RAs in GERD symptom control.

Clinical outcome using lansoprazole in acid hypersecretors with and without Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: a 13-year prospective study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Unremitting gastric acid and pepsin hypersecretion causes serious persistent and relapsing lesions, but the natural history with medical treatment alone has not been well-defined. The aims of this study were to heal and prevent relapse of acid/peptic lesions during acid suppression and to analyze benefits and risks during long-term lansoprazole treatment.

METHODS

Sixty-seven patients (49 with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome [ZES], 18 without), with basal acid output (BAO) >15 mmol/h or >5 mmol/h if post-antrectomy (n = 9, all ZES), were treated with individually optimized doses of lansoprazole (7.5-450 mg/day; median, 75 mg/day) to reduce BAO to <5 mmol/h or <1 mmol/h post-antrectomy and underwent endoscopy every 3-6 months for up to 13 years (median, 6.25 years).

RESULTS

Before treatment, 94% had duodenal ulcer, 64% had esophagitis, 60% had 1 or more bleeding episodes, 13% had perforated ulcers, 90% had pain, 60% had heartburn, and 40%-48% had diarrhea, vomiting, and/or weight loss. Forty-seven patients (70%) remained symptom- and lesion-free, whereas 13 (20%) had mild, transient relapses, and 7 (10%) had more complicated relapses. Overall, symptoms were reduced 90+%; ulcer or esophagitis relapsed in 4.8% of patients/year, unrelated to Helicobacter pylori , whereas complications declined to <2%/y. Post-antrectomy ZES patients had 3.6-fold higher relapse rates than unoperated ZES patients (67% vs 18%, respectively). With BAO >5 mmol/h in intact patients, relative risk of relapse was 4.1, confidence interval 2.1-8.1, P < .001. Twenty patients died, 3 as a result of ZES (2 metastatic gastrinomas).

CONCLUSIONS

With individually optimized medical suppression of acid secretion, 90% of patients had good to excellent long-term outcomes without surgery, with an annualized total relapse rate of <5%.

Review article: trials on reflux disease -- the role of acid secretion and inhibition

The importance of gastric acid in the pathophysiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is substantiated by the extraordinary therapeutic success of acid inhibition in the management of the disease. The influence of many risk factors for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is also mediated through their effect on gastric acid secretion and acid reflux. Helicobacter pylori reduces the risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease by causing corpus gastritis and reducing gastric acid output. The geographical and temporal trends of H. pylori infection in human populations and its influence on gastric acid secretion are responsible for much of the apparent epidemiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. On average, intra-oesophageal exposure to acid is higher in patients who respond poorly to antisecretory medication. It also tends to increase with increasing severity of reflux disease. However, gastric acid secretion and intra-oesophageal acid exposure vary markedly in reflux patients. The degrees of gastric or intra-oesophageal acidity do not allow the prediction of the presence or severity of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in the individual subject. The many clinical trials on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease indicate that the reflux of gastric acid constitutes an essential mechanism in the development of this disease, but that additional and partly unknown risk factors must contribute to its aetiology and promote its occurrence in the individual patient.

The association of gastroesophageal reflux disease with asthma and chronic cough in the adult

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition which is particularly prevalent in patients with asthma and chronic cough. Physiologic changes caused by asthma and chronic cough promote acid reflux. GERD is also considered by many investigators as a factor contributing to airway inflammation. An etiological relationship between GERD and asthma/chronic cough and vice versa has been supported by a large number of experimental and clinical findings and refuted by others. Although further controlled studies are needed to clarify this relationship, GERD and asthma/chronic cough appear to be linked to each other. The association of GERD with asthma and chronic cough involves nerve reflexes, cytokines, inflammatory and neuroendocrine cells and, in some patients, tracheal aspiration of refluxing gastric fluids. GERD may present with typical symptoms but can also be asymptomatic. Sensitive methods for diagnosing GERD are available, which include esophageal pH monitoring, acid provocative tests, modified barium swallow and endoscopy. Consideration of the association of GERD with asthma and chronic cough is of practical value in the management of chronic cough or asthma resistant to treatment. Treatment of GERD in patients with asthma has been consistently shown to improve respiratory symptoms but not necessarily pulmonary function tests. Surgical treatment can be a useful and cost-effective approach in selected patients with asthma and GERD.

The epidemiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are among the most common encountered in primary practice. Reported symptoms certainly under-represent the true prevalence of this disease in the population, because many patients do not seek care for symptoms of GERD and many physicians do not specifically ask about such symptoms when performing the review of systems. We describe the epidemiology of GERD. We begin by considering the prevalence of GERD as a function of the disease definition used. We then discuss the epidemiology of nonerosive reflux disease. After that, we consider the population risk factors for GERD. Next, we briefly touch on the epidemiology of GERD complications, including erosive esophagitis, strictures, and Barrett esophagus. We will end with a brief discussion of population screening of those with GERD for Barrett esophagus.

Natural history of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: the neglected factor

The natural history of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is still a matter for research. The follow-up of GORD patients under placebo and after suspension of the drugs that healed the disease, along with observations of large patient populations treated with, or without, antisecretory drugs for long periods of time, may give some information on the spontaneous evolution of the disease. To single out the outcome of each patient, predictive factors based on demographic, morphologic and pathophysiologic characteristics have been devised, but their reliability is debatable. The reason for their many discrepancies could lie in the fact that, to date, the large majority of investigators have focused their research on the characteristics of gastro-oesophageal reflux and underlying motor activity, and have overlooked the resistance of the oesophageal mucosa. As many studies have shown that the severity of GORD is not proportional to the amount of reflux, we strongly believe that knowledge of the capacity of the mucosa to resist injury and repair the damage is the key to understanding why patients with low reflux may have severe disease, while patients with high reflux may not. Research on the kind and degree of mucosal defects in patients with GORD should receive more attention and because it may help to clarify the laws that govern the GORD evolution.

Predictive factors of the long-term outcome in reflux esophagitis in a low-prevalence gastroesophageal reflux disease region

BACKGROUND

There are no data concerning the long-term outcome of patients with reflux esophagitis in Taiwan. In this study the outcome and the specific prognostic indicators associated with outcome in patients were assessed retrospectively, 7 years after diagnosis of esophagitis.

METHODS

The study comprised a total of 128 patients with endoscopic esophagitis, diagnosed between January and June 1995, at Taichung Veterans' General Hospital. The outcome at 7 years after diagnosis was assessed by outpatient or telephone interview. Factors associated with requiring long-term acid suppression therapy were analyzed.

RESULTS

In all, 105 patients were eligible for analysis: 61 patients (58.1%) with LA (Los Angeles classification) grade A, 29 patients (27.6%) with grade B, 11 patients (10.5%) with grade C and 4 patients (3.5%) with grade D esophagitis. Seven years after diagnosis, there were 52 patients (49.5%) with no or occasional reflux symptoms, 8 patients (7.6%) with occasional symptoms requiring treatment with histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), 12 patients (11.4%) with occasional symptoms requiring treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), as needed, and 33 patients (31.3%) with sustained symptoms needing daily maintenance with PPIs.

CONCLUSION

Nearly 50% of patients in Taiwan with endoscopic esophagitis still required treatment 7 years after diagnosis. Approximately 31% of patients still required daily acid suppression therapy. Presence of hiatal hernia and the severity of esophagitis at initial endoscopy independently were predictive of those who would require long-term acid suppression therapy.

Pharmacotherapy for chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and Barrett's oesophagus

Over the last two decades there have been major advances in the medical treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and Barrett's oesophagus. Motility agents, H(2)-receptor antagonists and proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) have all been evaluated in short- and long-term studies. Symptomatic response needs to be differentiated from healing of oesophagitis and maintenance of remission. Clinical trials have convincingly demonstrated the superiority of PPIs to motility agents and H(2)-receptor antagonists for all clinical aspects of GORD. Barrett's oesophagus requires lifelong acid suppression. Treatment with standard doses of PPIs is often insufficient and higher doses are frequently required. Medical treatment does not appear to result in clinically significant regression of Barrett's oesophagus.

Treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Therapeutic modalities for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) continue to evolve despite the introduction of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the most successful antireflux class of drugs. On-demand modalities such as antacids and alginates as well as histamine type-2 receptor antagonists continue to be popular with GERD patients who seek temporary relief of symptoms. The PPIs have revolutionized the treatment of patients with severe erosive esophagitis, complications of GERD, and atypical or extraesophageal manifestations of GERD. Antireflux surgery, commonly performed via laparoscopy, remains popular among patients who do not wish to take medications long term. In addition, the recent introduction of various endoscopic techniques offers GERD patients a long-term solution with less morbidity and lower cost than antireflux surgery.

A rational approach to uninvestigated dyspepsia in primary care: review of the literature

In this paper the rationale and limitations of the four most important approach strategies to dyspepsia in primary care (empiric treatment, prompt endoscopy, "test-and-scope", and "test-and-treat") are analysed. It is concluded that in the absence of alarm symptoms, a "test-and-treat" approach is currently the most rational approach provided that three conditions are met: (1) a highly accurate test should be used, (2) the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in the population should not be too low, and (3) an effective anti-H pylori regimen should be prescribed taking sufficient time to instruct and motivate the patient.

Clinical characteristics and natural history of patients with low-grade reflux esophagitis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Although the incidence of reflux esophagitis (RE) has recently increased in Japan, the majority of these cases are mild (Los Angeles classification grades A and B). In order to consider therapy for these patients, it is important to understand the natural history of mild RE. There is little information concerning the natural course of RE, particularly low-grade disease. The goal of this study is to elucidate the natural course of patients with mild RE and to identify specific prognostic indicators associated with a poor outcome.

METHODS

One hundred and five patients with mild RE were followed, without medical treatment, by endoscopy in addition to a questionnaire regarding symptomatology, for a mean of 5.5 years (range, 2.0-8.8 years) after initial diagnosis. Factors associated with the development of severe esophagitis were analyzed.

RESULTS

Endoscopically, 11 patients (10.5%) progressed to more severe forms of RE (recurrent progressive (RP) group), 60.0% of patients relapsed without disease progression (recurrent non-progression group), and the remaining 29.5% of patients had no further episodes of RE (isolated episode group). Risk factors for progressive disease were increased age, female sex, the presence of symptoms at initial diagnosis by endoscopy, presence of a hiatal hernia, absence of atrophic gastritis, and absence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Despite having all risk factors, there were six patients who did not progress to more severe forms of RE. The primary esophageal peristaltic amplitude in these patients was significantly higher than in the RP group.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with mild RE, only 10.5% progressed to more severe forms of RE. The patients with risk factors are candidates for aggressive therapy in order to prevent the progression of the RE disease process.

Step-down management of gastroesophageal reflux disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS

As the economic burden of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is largely weighted to maintenance as opposed to initial therapy, switching from more potent to less expensive medication once symptoms are alleviated (step-down therapy) may prove to be most cost-effective. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of step-down therapy in a cohort of patients with symptoms of uncomplicated GERD.

METHODS

Patients whose GERD symptoms were alleviated by proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were recruited from outpatient general medicine clinics. After baseline demographic and quality of life information were obtained, PPIs were withdrawn from subjects in a stepwise fashion. Primary outcome was recurrence of symptoms during follow-up that required reinstitution of PPIs. Secondary outcomes included changes in quality of life and overall cost of management. Predictors of nonresponse to step-down were assessed.

RESULTS

Seventy-one of 73 enrolled subjects completed the study. Forty-one of 71 (58%) were asymptomatic off PPI therapy after 1 year of follow-up. Twenty-four of 71 (34%) required histamine 2-receptor antagonists, 5/71 (7%) prokinetic agents, 1/71 (1%) both, and 11/71 (15%) remained asymptomatic without medication. Quality of life did not significantly change, whereas management costs decreased by 37%. Multivariable analysis revealed younger age and a dominant symptom of heartburn to predict PPI requirement.

CONCLUSIONS

Step-down therapy is successful in the majority of patients and can decrease costs without adversely affecting quality of life.

Risk factors for erosive reflux esophagitis: a case-control study

OBJECTIVES

It is presently not fully understood which risk factors contribute to the occurrence of reflux esophagitis and how such factors might influence the severity of the disease. The aim of this study was to delineate the clinical epidemiology of erosive reflux esophagitis.

METHODS

Outpatients from a medicine and gastroenterology clinic who underwent upper GI endoscopy were recruited into a case-control study. A total of 1,533 patients with and 3,428 patients without endoscopically diagnosed reflux esophagitis were categorized as case and control subjects, respectively. Using multivariate logistic regressions for statistical analysis, the presence of esophageal erosions, ulcers or strictures, served as three separate outcome variables. Demographic characteristics, intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, and the presence of hiatus hernia or peptic ulcer served as predictor variables.

RESULTS

Erosive reflux esophagitis tended to occur more frequently in Caucasian male patients. Hiatus hernia was associated with a strong risk for developing esophageal erosions, ulcers, and strictures. Although statistical significance was demonstrated only for esophageal erosions, in all grades of reflux esophagitis alike, gastric and duodenal ulcer exerted a protective influence. Consumption of NSAIDs increased the risk for esophageal ulcers only. Smoking and alcohol were not associated with an increased risk of developing any type of erosive reflux esophagitis.

CONCLUSIONS

The results stress the critical role played by hiatus hernia in all grades of erosive reflux esophagitis. NSAIDs may act through a mechanism of topically induced esophageal injury. Our data also suggest that the presence of either gastric or duodenal ulcer exerts a protective influence against the development of reflux disease.

Long term omeprazole therapy for reflux esophagitis: Follow-up in serum gastrin levels, EC cell hyperplasia and neoplasia

AIM: To evaluate the long-term safety of omeprazole in patients of gastroesophageal reflux disease resistant to treatment with H2 receptor antagonist.

METHODS: We prospectively followed 33 patients on omeprazole therapy for severe erosive esophagitis for 5-8 years, with periodic gastrin levels, H. pylori infection, gastric biopsies for incidence of ECL cell hyperplasia, carcinoids, gastric atrophy and neoplasia. A total 185 patient follow-up years and 137 gastric biopsies were done.

RESULTS: Among the 33 patients, 36% reached their peak gastrin levels in an average of 8 mo to one year, then drifted Down slowly over 1-2 year period to just above their baseline level, 24% of the patients had a peak gastrin level above 400 ng·L^-1 and one patient had a peak level above 1000 ng·L^-1. One patient had a mild ECL cell hyperplasia which was self-limiting and did not show any dysplastic changes. Eighteen percent of patients were positive for H. pylori infection. The gastric biopsies did not show gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia or neoplastic changes.

CONCLUSION: In a series of 33 patients followed for 5-8 years on omeprazole therapy for severe reflux esophagitis, we did not observe any evidence of significant ECL cell hyperplasia, gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia or neoplastic changes.

Epidemiology and natural history of reflux disease

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a highly prevalent condition in Western countries; at least 20% of the population have weekly symptoms. The incidence appears to be rising in the West and in some developing countries. Heartburn, based on a carefully elicited history, is reasonably specific for identifying GORD if it is a predominant complaint. Symptoms, however, appear to correlate poorly with oesophagitis; hence, severe symptoms do not indicate there is greater oesophageal damage. Only one-third to one-half of patients with GORD undergoing endoscopy have oesophagitis. GORD is usually a chronic disease but one-third may lose their symptoms over time. An ill-defined subset of patients over time may progress to develop abnormal acid exposure or oesophagitis, or both, when none existed at baseline. GORD has a significant negative impact on quality of life to the same degree as other chronic medical conditions, but impairment in quality of life is independent of oesophagitis.

Diagnostic evaluation in gastroesophageal reflux disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) describes the clinical manifestations of reflux of gastric contents and the associated symptoms and patterns of tissue injury. Although its exact prevalence is difficult to determine, there is no doubt the GERD is the most common esophageal disease and probably among the most prevalent conditions seen in the primary care setting. GERD has a wide clinical spectrum, making the diagnostic evaluation challenging and complicated at times. Confirmatory test are rarely needed in patients with typical symptoms of heartburn or regurgitation who have a good clinical response to GERD therapy. This article describes the diagnostic tests necessary for some cases of GERD.

Standard-dose lansoprazole is more effective than high-dose ranitidine in achieving endoscopic healing and symptom relief in patients with moderately severe reflux oesophagitis. The Dutch Lansoprazole Study Group

BACKGROUND

In the treatment of reflux oesophagitis, H2-receptor antagonists are still widely used in spite of the apparent higher efficacy of proton pump inhibitors. In an attempt to compensate for the lower efficacy, H2-receptor antagonists are now increasingly being used at a higher dose.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether or not standard-dose lansoprazole (30 mg o.d.) is more effective than high-dose ranitidine (300 mg b.d.) in moderately severe reflux oesophagitis (grades II-III).

METHODS

Lansoprazole or ranitidine was given to 133 patients for 4-8 weeks in a double-blind, randomized, parallel group, multicentre trial.

RESULTS

The percentage of patients with endoscopically-verified healing was significantly higher on lansoprazole than on ranitidine both after 4 weeks (79% vs. 42%) and 8 weeks (91% vs. 66%), though smoking had a negative impact on oesophagitis healing with lansoprazole. Heartburn, retrosternal pain and belching improved significantly better with lansoprazole than with ranitidine, as did the patient-rated overall symptom severity. Relief of heartburn appeared somewhat faster with ranitidine, but was more pronounced with lansoprazole. The number of patients with adverse events was similar in both treatment groups.

CONCLUSION

Standard-dose lansoprazole is better than high-dose ranitidine in moderately severe reflux oesophagitis.

Gastroesophageal reflux and asthma: a review of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs in up to one-third of the adult US population. Most affected individuals are either unaware of their condition or do not seek medical help, relying on nonprescription acid suppressants and antacids for relief. GERD, a common disorder of infancy, old age, and pregnancy, is particularly prevalent in patients with asthma. A causal relationship between the two diseases has been postulated by many investigators. The physiologic changes of asthma exacerbations and the actions of some of the medications used to treat asthma both aggravate GERD. The adverse effect of GERD on asthma and the pathophysiology of this relationship are still under debate. Some studies showed no objective improvement by spirometry of asthmatics treated for GERD, but recognized improvement in asthma symptoms and decreased use of asthma medication. Other studies, supporting GERD induction of asthma, have been performed to test two hypotheses: that asthma is exacerbated by endotracheal aspiration of gastric contents or by a reflex response to stimulation of esophageal receptors. Clinical experience has shown that early diagnosis and treatment of GERD often leads to better control of asthma.

Three- to 4.5-year prospective study of prognostic indicators in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

BACKGROUND

Data on the long-term natural history of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) are sparse. This prospective study was designed to determine the clinical outcome on the basis of therapeutic requirements 3 to 4.5 years after initial diagnosis of GORD and to identify specific prognostic indicators of a poor outcome.

METHODS

One hundred and one GORD patients were followed up by symptomatic questionnaire 3 to 4.5 years after diagnosis and offered repeat investigation with endoscopy and oesophageal pH monitoring if symptoms persisted.

RESULTS

Seventy-seven (76%) patients responded (mean follow-up period, 39 months; range, 32-54 months); of these, 28 had grade-II or -III oesophagitis at initial endoscopy, 17 had normal endoscopy but abnormal pH monitoring, and 32 had normal investigations but frequent heartburn. At follow-up 32 (42%) were taking acid suppression therapy, and a further 15 patients started acid suppression therapy after repeat investigation indicated a need to do so, giving a total of 47 (61%) patients receiving acid suppression. The following factors predicted a need for acid suppression at follow-up: oesophagitis on initial endoscopy (P = 0.009), abnormal pH monitoring (P = 0.0005), increased age (P < 0.0005), and increased body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.001). Gender, smoking status, alcohol intake, and lower oesophageal sphincter pressure had no prognostic value. Regression analysis confirmed that age (P = 0.0007), BMI (P = 0.04), and endoscopy result (P = 0.04) all independently affected outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Most GORD patients still require acid suppression therapy 3 to 4.5 years after initial diagnosis. Age, BMI, and presence of oesophagitis at initial endoscopy all independently predict those who will require long-term acid suppression therapy.

Effect of smoking on the results of esophageal pH measurement in clinical routine

Because data on the effects of smoking on gastroesophageal reflux are controversial, we evaluated the effect of smoking on the results of esophageal 24-hour pH-metry in clinical routine. Participants were 280 consecutive patients with symptoms suggestive of reflux disease, 78 smokers, and 202 nonsmokers. Of the smokers, 45 actually smoked during the pH measurement and 33 abstained from smoking. The frequency of reflux episodes, the fraction of time pH was < 4, and the percentage of abnormal 24-hour pH-metry results were compared among actual smokers, abstaining smokers, and nonsmokers. In actual smokers, the effect of smoking on gastroesophageal reflux was further analyzed by comparing the reflux frequency and the fraction of time that pH was < 4 for a 10-minute period before, during, and after smoking. We found no difference in reflux frequency and fraction of time that pH was < 4 among actual smokers, abstaining smokers, and nonsmokers, regardless of a normal or an abnormal pH-metry result. The percentage of patients with a pH-metry result indicating disease was similar in the three groups, at 53%, 52%, and 50%, respectively. Gastroesophageal reflux was not increased during smoking a cigarette or in the postsmoking period compared with the presmoking period. Neither being a smoker nor actually smoking a cigarette had a negative influence on gastroesophageal reflux. Thus smoking or abstaining from smoking does not modify the results of pH-metry in clinical routine.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and asthma

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GOR) and asthma are both common medical conditions that often co-exist. Studies using oesophageal manometry and 24 h ambulatory pH monitoring have shown that up to 80% of asthmatics have abnormal GOR. A number of mechanisms whereby GOR may trigger asthma have been proposed, and it is believed that acid reflux may stimulate vagal receptors in the lower oesophagus causing reflex bronchoconstriction. However, GOR may be worsened by asthma causing abnormal diaphragm mechanics and by its treatment. Formal evaluation of GOR should be considered a part of asthma assessment, particularly if asthmatic symptoms are precipitated by factors known to trigger GOR such as reclining, alcohol ingestion, and the use of theophylline. Twenty-four hour ambulatory intra-oesophageal pH monitoring remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of GOR. Medical therapy with anti-reflux medications, such as acid suppressive agents and prokinetic agents may improve both GOR and asthma control. In those who fail medical therapy, anti-reflux surgery may be warranted in some.

Prognostic factors influencing relapse of oesophagitis during maintenance therapy with antisecretory drugs: a meta-analysis of long-term omeprazole trials

BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis investigated factors that may affect the risk of relapse of oesophagitis, and evaluated the predictive value of symptoms for the presence of relapse during long-term treatment.

METHODS

Individual data from 1154 patients included in five independently conducted, randomized, long-term clinical trials of the efficacy of different dosage regimens of omeprazole, standard ranitidine treatment and placebo for the prevention of relapse of oesophagitis were pooled for this meta-analysis. The therapeutic regimens studied were omeprazole 20 mg o.m. (OME20) in 366 patients, omeprazole 10 mg o.m. (OME10) in 225 patients, omeprazole 20 mg weekends (OMEW) in 235 patients, ranitidine 150 mg b.d. (RAN) in 179 patients, or placebo (PLA) in 149 patients.

RESULTS

OME20 maintained 82.4% (95% CI: 78.2-86.6%) of patients in endoscopic remission over the 6-month period compared to 71.9% (95% CI: 65.5-78.3%) for OME10, 52.3% (95% CI: 44.4-60.1%) for RAN, 42.7% (95% CI: 35.8-49.5%) for OMEW, and 10.6% (95% CI: 5.0-16.3%) for PLA. A Cox's regression analysis of time to recurrence of oesophagitis showed that four factors were associated with a higher relapse rate during placebo and active maintenance therapy: (a) pre-treatment severity of oesophagitis (P < 0.0001), (b) young age (P = 0.01), (c) non-smoking (P = 0.02) and (d) moderate/severe regurgitation before entry into the trials (P = 0.03). Asymptomatic relapse of oesophagitis was uncommon, being found in only 8.6% of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Maintenance treatment with omeprazole 10 and 20 mg daily is superior to all other regimens tested, and is only marginally influenced by the pretreatment severity of oesophagitis. Age contributes to the factors that influence the outcome during long-term treatment with omeprazole. Symptom relief is highly predictive for the maintenance of healing.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in The Netherlands. Results of a multicentre pH study

Information on the relationships between gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR), reflux symptoms, hiatal hernia (HH) and oesophagitis, and the response to antisecretory treatment is lacking. In a multicentre study endoscopy, ambulatory 24-h pH monitoring and symptom assessment were carried out in 142 patients with symptomatic reflux disease before and during treatment with ranitidine. Using a randomized, double-blind design, patients took ranitidine 150 mg bid or 300 mg bid. Macroscopic oesophagitis (grade I or II) was found in 85 patients; the remaining 57 patients had normal oesophageal mucosa. A significant correlation was found between the presence of an HH and the presence of oesophagitis. Symptom scores were similar in patients with and without oesophagitis, and in patients with and without HH. Patients with oesophagitis had significantly greater oesophageal acid exposure during the night, and in the total 24-h period, but not during the day. Likewise, patients with HH had greater acid exposure during the night (p < 0.008). Both doses of ranitidine significantly decreased oesophageal acid exposure and the effect was independent of baseline acid exposure. Reflux symptoms cannot be used to differentiate between presence or absence of oesophagitis and/or HH. Reflux patients without oesophagitis have less night-time reflux. Ranitidine dose-dependently decreases oesophageal acid exposure, and the effect is independent of baseline reflux.

[Therapeutic principles in gastroesophageal reflux]

Gastroesophageal reflux is a common disease. Its chronic course, even if mild, is sometimes complicated by erosive oesophagitis. Drug therapy acts against gastric acidity and motility disorders. Treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease has three aims: improvement of symptoms and quality of life, healing erosive lesions and prevention of symptomatic and endoscopic relapses. Non-drug measures are always useful, even if their efficacy is not well established. Initial therapy of a symptomatic reflux or mild oesophagitis is most of the time effective (antacids, prokinetics, H2 receptor antagonists). Proton-pump inhibitors are also effective in healing and preventing severe oesophagitis. Questions about long-term treatment adverse events with powerful acid inhibitors, such as hypergastrinemia and the risk of gastric carcinoid tumours seem to be resolved. Studies are requested to define the optimal long-term maintenance treatment with cisapride, H2 receptor antagonists or proton-pump inhibitors at low doses in prevention of symptomatic and mild oesophagitis relapses.

A comparison of five maintenance therapies for reflux esophagitis

BACKGROUND

Patients with reflux esophagitis have a high rate of relapse within one year after therapy is discontinued.

METHODS

We enrolled 175 adults with endoscopy-confirmed reflux esophagitis in a prospective study comparing five maintenance therapies. All the patients were initially treated with omeprazole (40 mg orally once a day) for four to eight weeks, and healing was confirmed by endoscopy. Participants were then stratified according to their initial grade of esophagitis and randomly assigned to 12 months of treatment with one of the following: cisapride (10 mg three times a day), ranitidine (150 mg three times a day), omeprazole (20 mg per day), ranitidine plus cisapride (10 mg three times a day), or omeprazole plus cisapride. Endoscopy was repeated after 6 and 12 months of treatment; the endoscopists were blinded to the treatment assignments. Remission was defined as the absence of esophageal lesions on scheduled or unscheduled follow-up endoscopy.

RESULTS

In an intention-to-treat analysis, the numbers of patients in continued remission at 12 months were 19 of 35 (54 percent) in the cisapride group, 17 of 35 (49 percent) in the ranitidine group, 28 of 35 (80 percent) in the omeprazole group, 23 of 35 (66 percent) in the ranitidine-plus-cisapride group, and 31 of 35 (89 percent) in the omeprazole-plus-cisapride group. Omeprazole was significantly more effective than cisapride (P = 0.02) or ranitidine (P = 0.003), and combination therapy with omeprazole plus cisapride was significantly more effective than cisapride alone (P = 0.003), ranitidine alone (P < 0.001), or ranitidine plus cisapride (P = 0.03). Ranitidine plus cisapride was significantly better than ranitidine alone (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

For maintenance treatment of reflux esophagitis, omeprazole alone or in combination with cisapride is more effective than ranitidine alone or cisapride alone, and the combination of omeprazole and cisapride is more effective than ranitidine plus cisapride.

Patterns of 24-hour oesophageal acid exposure after acute withdrawal of acid suppression

AIM

To measure 24-h ambulatory oesophageal pH data in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease prior to, during and after acute treatment with comparable doses of omeprazole and ranitidine.

METHODS

The subjects were 20 adults with at least 8% acid contact time. Ten subjects were treated for 1 week with omeprazole 20 mg q.d.s. and 10 subjects with ranitidine 300 mg t.d.s. All subjects were examined at the end of 1 week of therapy and subsequent to cessation of treatment (1 day for ranitidine and 3 days for omeprazole).

RESULTS

Both drugs produced a statistically significant (P < 0.05) decrease in acid contact time with acute treatment. Omeprazole produced a significantly greater decrease in acid contact time when compared to ranitidine. Subsequent to treatment cessation, the total acid contact time for omeprazole remained significantly less than the baseline level, while ranitidine returned to levels which were not significantly different from the baseline.

CONCLUSION

These data provide no evidence for a 'reflux rebound' subsequent to the cessation of acute acid secretory suppression.

An index to predict outcome of surgery for reflux esophagitis based on the AFP classification

Fifteen patients with reflux esophagitis were treated surgically from July 1990 to April 1994. We evaluated these patients using the anatomic-functional-pathologic (AFP) classification both prior to and following the operation. An objective index for surgical outcome was devised. By using the grades Ai, Fj, and Pk, the i2 + j2 + k2 score was determined. The scores ranged from 3 to 22 (mean 9.1 +/- 5.4) prior to the operation. Postoperatively, 12 (80%) of 15 patients showed a complete recovery with a numerical score of 0, and their symptoms also disappeared. The scores of these 12 patients prior to the operation ranged between 3 and 11. However, the other 3 patients did not exhibit a complete recovery. Their scores prior to the operation ranged between 17 and 22, and the symptoms in 2 of these 3 patients persisted following the operation. These results suggest that surgical treatment for reflux esophagitis can be expected to be successful if the preoperative AFP score is less than 11.

Prognostic factors for relapse and maintenance treatment with cisapride in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

AIM

To perform a further Cox proportional hazards logistic regression analysis of data from two large-scale placebo-controlled trials with cisapride as maintenance treatment in reflux disease.

RESULTS

Analysis of each of the two databases, allowing the model to operate freely, led to the identification of a number of unexpected putative predictors of outcome in the 6 to 12 months following initial healing of oesophagitis with an H2-receptor antagonist or omeprazole. This allowed us to delineate more accurately the patient population that is likely to respond to long-term continuous treatment with low or standard dose cisapride. The analysis revealed that symptom severity may be more useful than endoscopic severity in predicting relapse or in guiding therapy. Reflux oesophagitis outcome is particularly poor in the presence of treatment-recalcitrant symptoms or severe mucosal damage. Analysis showed cisapride to be effective in the maintenance treatment of patients with non-refractory symptoms, irrespective of the initial severity of oesophagitis, the healing agent used, or a history of previous endoscopic relapses.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and dyspepsia in the elderly

Upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms are common in the elderly and, despite a paucity of data, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are believed to be important risk factors. We aimed to evaluate the association of NSAIDs with dyspepsia and heartburn in a population-based study. An age- and gender-stratified random sample of Olmsted County, Minnesota, Caucasian residents aged 65 years and older was mailed a valid self-report questionnaire; 74% responded (N = 1375). Age- and gender-adjusted (to 1980 US Caucasian population) prevalence rates for NSAID use, dyspepsia (defined as pain located in the upper abdomen or nausea), and heartburn (defined as retrosternal burning pain) were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association of dyspepsia and heartburn with potential risk factors adjusting for age and gender. The age- and gender-adjusted annual prevalences (per 100) of aspirin and nonaspirin NSAID use were 60.0 (95% CI 57.2, 62.7) and 26.1 (95% CI 23.6, 28.7), respectively. The annual prevalences of dyspepsia and heartburn were 15.0 (95% CI 12.9, 17.0) and 12.9 (95% CI 10.9, 14.8), respectively. Aspirin was associated with dyspepsia and/or heartburn (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.2, 2.2) as were nonaspirin NSAIDs (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.3, 2.6), but smoking and alcohol were not significant risk factors. Aspirin and nonaspirin NSAIDs are associated with almost a twofold risk of upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms in elderly community subjects.

Pharmacological management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) ranges from episodic symptomatic reflux without oesophagitis to severe oesophageal mucosal damage, such as Barrett's metaplasia or peptic stricture. The multifactorial pathogenesis of GORD prevents medical cure of the disease. GORD is a chronic disease with a high tendency to relapse, requiring a long term treatment strategy in practically all patients. Complete healing of all mucosal lesions is not necessarily the aim of treatment in all patients. In milder forms of reflux disease, symptom relief is the most important goal. Many patients with mild GORD do well on symptomatic self-care with antacids and/or alginate. In addition, lifestyle changes should be advised to all patients: these improve symptoms and enhance the efficacy of therapy. In the acute treatment of GORD the prokinetic drug cisapride has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms and healing grade I to II oesophagitis. Cisapride decreases symptomatic and endoscopic relapse in patients with mild GORD. Histamine H2-receptor antagonists are effective in relieving reflux symptoms in about 50% of patients, but with regard to healing, H2-antagonists appear to be mainly effective in grades I and II and not in higher grades of oesophagitis. Maintenance treatment with H2-antagonists is mainly symptomatically effective in patients with mild GORD. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provide significantly higher healing rates of reflux oesophagitis than H2-antagonists, even in the more severe cases of oesophagitis and Barrett's ulcers. PPIs are also effective in patients with oesophagitis refractory to treatment with H2-antagonists. PPIs have become the drugs of first choice in healing of all patients with more severe forms of reflux oesophagitis, and increasingly also for patients with milder forms of oesophagitis, certainly those who fail to respond to other drugs. In maintenance treatment of GORD, PPIs are the most effective drugs, offering the possibility of keeping nearly all patients in remission with adjusted doses. Current patient data of up to 5 years indicate the safety of this strategy for this period, but the exact consequences of strong acid inhibition over a longer period still have to be clarified. At present, all but a few patients with GORD can be managed adequately by medical therapy.

Risk factors for ulcerative reflux oesophagitis: a case-control study

A case-control study was undertaken to investigate the effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and other analgesic medications and family and medical history on the risk of ulcerative reflux oesophagitis (URO). We recruited 191 cases with URO diagnosed at endoscopy, 162 hospital controls who had also undergone endoscopy and 140 community controls from the Adelaide metropolitan area. From these three groups of subjects, 134 case-community control pairs, Matched on age, sex and postcode of residence and 142 case-hospital control pairs, matched on age, sex, hospital and endoscopist, were formed. Elevated non-significant risks were found in those smoking at least 20 cigarettes per day relative to those who never smoked (relative risk = 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 0.9-3.9 in case-hospital control pairs; relative risk = 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 0.9-3.7 in case-community control pairs). There was no elevation in risk associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with alcohol consumption, factors related to medical and reproductive history, nor with family history except for paternal history of heartburn (relative risk = 2.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.2-5.4 in case-hospital control pairs; relative risk = 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.0-4.0 in case-community control pairs). With the possible exception of smoking, no other risk factors for ulcerative reflux oesophagitis related to lifestyle are apparent.

The predictive value of symptoms in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

BACKGROUND

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) must be distinguished from functional dyspepsia and peptic ulcer disease because, albeit similar symptomatology, they are different diseases with greatly differing pathogenesis and treatment.

METHODS

A new endoscopic grading of reflux oesophagitis was applied in two large prospective studies.

RESULTS

High consistency of endoscopic findings and low predictive value of symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The low predictive value of symptoms stresses the importance of applying solid endoscopic criteria in the assessment of GORD.

The clinical use of cisapride in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, with particular focus on the long-term treatment aspects

BACKGROUND

The healing of oesophagitis, both symptomatic and endoscopic, can be obtained with cisapride, the results being equivalent to what has been achieved with H2RAs. For many patients, however, GORD is a chronic relapsing disease.

RESULTS

At least 40-50% of patients relapse within a year of initial healing. Important predictors for relapse are the severity of symptoms, the degree of mucosal damage, and the time it takes for the initial lesions to heal. Another important predictor of relapse, as shown in the cisapride maintenance studies, is the need for PPIs, probably because the most recalcitrant patients were selected for this therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with mild or moderate disease should be treated with intermittent or prolonged therapy with cisapride or H2RAs. Patients with severe disease should be given prolonged or permanent therapy with a PPI or with cisapride in combination with either an H2RA or a PPI. For the latter group, antireflux surgery should also be considered, especially in younger patients who have a completely incompetent closing mechanism of the lower oesophageal sphincter.

Reflux esophagitis: overview

Reflux eosophagitis is one of the most common chronic disorders in humans. While ultimately due to contact of esophageal epithelium with gastric acid and pepsin, the pathogenesis of the condition remains poorly understood. In the present manuscript, some key clinical aspects of this condition are briefly reviewed, including pathogenesis, complications, diagnosis, and treatment.

Equine model of inducing ulceration in alimentary squamous epithelial mucosa

Ulceration of the gastric squamous epithelial mucosa was induced in 10 horses using a feeding protocol previously shown to expose the gastric mucosa to repeated periods of high acidity. The feeding protocol consisted of alternating feed deprivation with free access to hay. Over a period of seven days, each horse was provided hay for 84 hr and deprived of hay for 84 hr. Hay was never withheld for longer than 24 hr at a time. Gastroscopy was performed on each horse at the beginning of the protocol after 12 hr of feed deprivation, and after a total of 36 hr, 60 hr, and 84 hr of feed deprivation. All horses had normal esophageal and gastric mucosa at the beginning of the protocol. Alternating periods of feeding and feed deprivation resulted in progressive ulceration of the gastric squamous epithelial mucosa in all but one of the horses. Lesions progressed from erosions to ulceration within 36-72 hr of feed deprivation, and by 84 hr of feed deprivation ulcers had developed thickened, raised margins. Esophageal mucosa appeared normal in all horses throughout the study. The protocol of alternating feeding with feed deprivation in horses consistently produced gastric squamous epithelial ulceration and provided a useful model for characterizing temporal transitions in peptic-injured alimentary squamous epithelia.

Omeprazole or ranitidine in long-term treatment of reflux esophagitis. The Scandinavian Clinics for United Research Group

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Patients with reflux esophagitis have rapid relapses after treatment withdrawal. This study was designed to investigate the relapse rate of symptomatic esophagitis during maintenance treatment with omeprazole or ranitidine.

METHODS

Patients with endoscopically verified acute erosive or ulcerative esophagitis were initially treated with 20-40 mg omeprazole daily for 8-12 weeks. After healing, the patients were randomized to maintenance treatment with omeprazole (20 or 10 mg each morning) or ranitidine (150 mg twice daily). Control endoscopy was performed at the end of the healing phase and after 12 months of maintenance treatment or symptomatic relapse.

RESULTS

Of 426 initially treated patients, 392 were healed and entered the maintenance study. The months of maintenance treatment with 20 mg omeprazole once daily (n = 131), 10 mg omeprazole once daily (n = 133), and 150 mg ranitidine twice daily (n = 128) were 72%, 62%, and 45%, respectively. Both the 10- and 20-mg doses of omeprazole were significantly better than the dose of ranitidine (P < 0.001 and P < 0.005, respectively). There was no significant difference between the 10- and 20-mg doses of omeprazole (P = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Maintenance treatment with omeprazole (20 or 10 mg once daily) is superior to ranitidine (150 mg twice daily) in keeping patients with erosive reflux esophagitis in remission over a 12-month period.

Current diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease

OBJECTIVE

To review recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Original English language reports were obtained through a Medline search of the National Library of Medicine up to and including 1993. The reference lists of all original reports and review articles were searched to locate any further material. In the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy, randomized studies were preferentially considered; greatest priority was given to double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Abstracts, nonrandomized trials, and non-English language publications were considered only when other data were unavailable.

RESULTS

Information obtained from histories and physical examinations suggests that GERD occurs in many patients. Evaluation of mucosal injury with use of either endoscopy or air contrast barium radiography is an important early step in the diagnosis of GERD. Endoscopy obtains tissue for histologic study, especially in Barrett's esophagus. Prolonged esophageal pH monitoring is the most useful determinant of the presence and amount of reflux of acid. Patients with GERD should be counseled on lifestyle modification and the use of antacids and antirefluxants. Histamine type 2 receptor antagonists provide symptomatic relief in 32 to 82% of patients with GERD and resolution of verified esophagitis in 0 to 82%. Responses with omeprazole therapy are higher; symptomatic responses were noted in 62 to 94% of patients, and healing of esophagitis occurred in 71 to 96%. Promotility agents and surgical therapy have a role in selected patients.

CONCLUSION

GERD is a chronic disorder that often necessitates individualized lifelong therapy. Many questions remain to be answered about the cost-effectiveness of both diagnostic tests and therapy for GERD.

Review article: drug therapy for reflux oesophagitis

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is a common disorder and symptoms can be mild to severe. Management of the disease should be individualized. Life-style changes are important for all patients. Drug therapy is often necessary but only very few patients with severe disease need surgical treatment. The purpose of this article is to focus on drug therapy and to review the clinical trials of all the drugs used for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Thereafter, judged solely on the data derived from these trials, a practical approach to the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is suggested.