Are frequent short gastro-oesophageal reflux episodes the cause of symptoms in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia responding to treatment with ranitidine?
BACKGROUND
Patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) responding to treatment with H2-receptor antagonists have no clinically useful characteristics. This trial compares the gastro-oesophageal reflux pattern as measured by 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring in patients responding to ranitidine with that of non-responders.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with NUD were randomized to 6 weeks' double-blind alternating treatment with 150 mg ranitidine twice daily or placebo and classified as responders or non-responders.


RESULTS
Pathologic gastro-oesophageal reflux was seen in 3 of the 13 responders and 4 of the 18 no-responders (NS). The responders had frequent short reflux episodes (< 1 min in duration). When 4 patients with > or = 5 reflux episodes longer than 5 min were excluded, the number of short reflux episodes (median) in responders and non-responders was 32 and 14, respectively. The difference is statistically significant (p = 0.025). There were no other differences between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study patients with NUD responding to ranitidine were characterized by frequent short reflux episodes in the absence of numerous long reflux episodes.
Farup
P G
PG
Dept. of Medicine, Gjłvik County Hospital, Norway.
Hovde
O
O
Breder
O
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications*; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011899:Ranitidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D011899:Ranitidine