HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY-OF-LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE EROSIVE REFLUX ESOPHAGITIS

One thousand one hundred forty-five patients with acute erosive reflux esophagitis participating in an eight-week double-blind, multicenter study of lansoprazole 15 mg daily, lansoprazole 30 mg daily, omeprazol e 20 mg daily, and placebo responded to a health-related quality of li fe (HRQoL) questionnaire at baseline and at two, four, and eight weeks . At baseline, there were no HRQoL differences among the four study gr oups. However, all three active treatment groups improved statisticall y significantly more than placebo on most HRQoL scales at each follow- up. There were no statistically significant differences among the thre e active treatment groups at week 2, although in most instances lansop razole 30 mg showed slightly more improvement. After week 2, benefits in all the study groups leveled off and remained constant. Greater aci d suppression appeared to result in greater improvement in terms of HR QoL.