title: Combination therapy of sucralfate and ranitidine, compared with sucralfate monotherapy, in patients with peptic reflux esophagitis.
abstract: A double-blind, multicenter, randomized study was performed in 75 patients with endoscopically documented reflux esophagitis. Patients were randomly given 1 g sucralfate four times a day or the combination of sucralfate three times a day and 300 mg ranitidine after dinnertime. Endoscopy was performed at the beginning of the study, after 8 weeks, and, if, the reflux esophagitis was not healed, after 16 weeks. Four patients had to be excluded from evaluation; 71 patients could therefore be evaluated. Both groups showed symptomatic improvement to similar extents. Endoscopy showed symptomatic improvement in 67% of the patients treated with sucralfate and in 74% of the combination therapy group. Complete healing or Savary-Miller stage 1 was seen in 26.5% and in 31.4%, respectively. We conclude that sucralfate monotherapy in patients with milder forms of reflux esophagitis is comparable with a combination of sucralfate during the day and ranitidine after dinnertime. This study does not support the commonly used combination of sucralfate and H2-receptor antagonists in reflux esophagitis.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Gastroenterology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam; The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vermeijden
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Tytgat
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Schotborgh
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: vd Boomgaard
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: van Olffen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schrijver
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Vosmaer
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Dekkers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011899:Ranitidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013392:Sucralfate / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D013392:Sucralfate; D011899:Ranitidine