title: Efficacy of camostat mesilate compared with famotidine for treatment of functional dyspepsia: is camostat mesilate effective?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differentiation between functional dyspepsia and early chronic pancreatitis is difficult because these diseases do not produce specific abnormalities in laboratory testing. The aim of this study was to examine the potential efficacy of camostat mesilate, a protease inhibitor, against functional dyspepsia and to characterize patients with favorable responses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dyspeptic patients who exhibited no abnormalities on laboratory blood and urine testing, abdominal ultrasonography and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were randomized to receive camostat mesilate 200 mg three times daily or famotidine 20 mg twice daily for 4 weeks. Symptoms severity was recorded before and at 2 and 4 weeks after starting treatment using a visual analog scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epigastralgia was significantly improved after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment in both groups (P < 0.01); this improvement tended to be more marked in the camostat mesilate group (P < 0.05 at 2 weeks). The beneficial effect of camostat mesilate on epigastralgia was more prominent in chronic alcohol drinkers at 2 weeks (P < 0.05) and 4 weeks (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Camostat mesilate is superior to famotidine for relieving epigastralgia in patients with functional dyspepsia. Its pain-relieving effect is greater in patients who habitually drink alcohol.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Tamatsukuri Kousei-nenkin Hospital, Yatsuka, Japan. ashizawa.n@smn.enjoy.ne.jp
authors: Nobuo
authors: N
authors: Ashizawa
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Hashimoto
authors: Tatsuya
authors: T
authors: Miyake
authors: Toshihiro
authors: T
authors: Shizuku
authors: Tomonori
authors: T
authors: Imaoka
authors: Yoshikazu
authors: Y
authors: Kinoshita