Pg. Farup et al., ARE FREQUENT SHORT GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX EPISODES THE CAUSE OF SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH NONULCER DYSPEPSIA RESPONDING TO TREATMENT WITH RANITIDINE, Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology, 30(9), 1995, pp. 829-832
Background: Patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) responding to trea
tment with H-2-receptor antagonists have no clinically useful characte
ristics. This trial compares the gastro-oesophageal reflux pattern as
measured by 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring in patients responding to r
anitidine with that of non-responders. Methods: Thirty-one patients wi
th NUD were randomized to 6 weeks' double-blind alternating treatment
with 150 mg ranitidine twice daily or placebo and classified as respon
ders or nonresponders. Results: Pathologic gastro-oesophageal reflux w
as seen in 3 of the 13 responders and 4 of the 18 non-responders (NS).
The responders had frequent short reflux episodes (< 1 min in duratio
n). When 4 patients with greater than or equal to 5 reflux episodes lo
nger than 5 min were excluded, the number of short reflux episodes (me
dian) in responders and non-responders was 32 and 14, respectively. Th
e difference is statistically significant (p = 0.025). There were no o
ther differences between the groups. Conclusions: In this study patien
ts with NUD responding to ranitidine were characterized by frequent sh
ort reflux episodes in the absence of numerous long reflux episodes.