Presentations in GERD: DEX Associated With Quality of Life, Symptom Improvements in GERD
A study evaluated the effects of DEX on quality of life and symptom severity in patients with symptomatic nonero-sive GERD. In the initial 4-week study, 313 patients (mean age, 49.4 years; 69.3% women) initially received DEX 60 mg, 90 mg, or placebo once daily. In the subsequent multicenter, open-label, 12-month safety study, patients were randomly assigned to DEX 60 mg or 90 mg once daily. Patients initially treated with DEX experienced significant improvements from baseline to Week 4 in the Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Dis-orders—Quality-of-Life scores and significant reductions in symptom severity. These improvements were maintained at each visit during the 12-month study. Patients who had initially received placebo achieved comparable quality-of-life improvements and reductions in symptom severity after the first month of the 12-month study. Similar trends were noted for the subscales evaluated.
Differences in Nighttime Acid Exposure in EE Versus Nonerosive Reflux Disease
A computer-based study compared differences in nighttime esophageal acid exposure associated with EE and nonerosive reflux disease (NERD). The study, which analyzed the topographic distribution of intraesophageal pH, was conducted in 22 patients with NERD (mean age, 45 years; 72% male) and 38 patients with EE (mean age, 41.8 years; 68% male). The time in bed did not differ between the groups. The investigators found several significant differences in acid exposure in the 2 groups. NERD was associated with significantly fewer acid reflux events than EE (20.0 vs 25.9 events), shorter reflux time with a pH less than 4 (24.7 vs 30.1 minutes), a lower proportion of total time with a pH less than 4 (4.0% vs 5.4%; P<.05), and fewer reports of symptoms during the night (15.8% vs 9.1%; P<.05). Overall, the topographic intraesophageal pH distribution did not differ substantially between NERD and EE for all pH brackets except pH 1—0 (pH 4—3: 55% vs 54%; pH 3—2: 32.9% vs 27%; pH 2-1: 11% vs 13.2%, respectively; P>.05). Thus, the differences in nighttime acid exposure between EE and NERD were attributed to duration, rather than intensity, of exposure.
erectalis tablets
