Modified Helicobacter test using a new test meal and a 13C-urea breath test in Helicobacter pylori positive and negative dyspepsia patients on proton pump inhibitors

AIM To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the ^(13)C-urea breath test(UBT) in patients taking proton pump inhibitors(PPIs), using a new test meal Refex. METHODS One hundred and fourteen consecutive patients with dyspepsia, 53 Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) positive, 49 H. pylori negative, were included in the study. The patients were then given esomeprazole 40 mg for 29 consecutive days, and the ^(13)C-UBT with the new test meal was performed the next morning. RESULTS The sensitivity of the ^(13)C-UBT with a cut off 2.5‰ was92.45%(95%CI: 81.79%-97.91%) by per-protocol(PP) analysis and 78.13 %(95%CI: 66.03%-87.49%) by intention-to-treat(ITT) analysis. The specificity of the ^(13)C-UBT test was 96.00 % in the ITT population(95%CI: 86.29%-99.51%) and 97.96% in the PP population(95%CI: 89.15%-99.95%).CONCLUSION The new test meal based ^(13)C-UBT is highly accurate in patients on PPIs and can be used in those unable to stop their PPI treatment.

Proposed approach to the challenging management of progressive gastroesophageal reflux disease

The progression of gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) in patients who are taking proton pump inhibitors(PPIs) has been reported by several investigators,leading to concerns that PPI therapy does not address all aspects of the disease.Patients who are at risk of progression need to be identified early in the course of their disease in order to receive preventive treatment.A review of the literature on GERD progression to Barrett's esophagus and the associated physiological and pathological changes was performed and risk factors for progression were identified.In addition,a potential approach to the prevention of progression is discussed.Current evidence shows that GERD can progress;however,patients at risk of progression may not be identified early enough for it to be prevented.Biopsies of the squamocolumnar junction that show microscopic intestinalization of metaplastic cardiac mucosa in endoscopically normal patients are predictive of future visible Barrett's esophagus,and an indicator of GERD progression.Such changes can be identified only through biopsy,which is not currently recommended for endoscopically normal patients.GERD treatment should aim to prevent progression.We propose that endoscopically normal patients who partially respond or do not respond to PPI therapy undergo routine biopsies at the squamocolumnar junction to identify histological changes that may predict future progression.This will allow earlier intervention,aimed at preventing Barrett's esophagus.

Treatment of uncomplicated reflux disease

Uncomplicated reflux disease comprises the non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) and erosive reflux disease (ERD).The objectives of treatment are the adequate control of symptoms with restoration of quality of life, healing of lesions and prevention of relapse. Treatment of NERD consists in the administration of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for 2-4 wk, although patients with NERD show an overall poorer response to PPI treatment than patients with ERD owing to the fact that patients with NERD do not form a pathophysiologically homogenous group. For long-term management on-demand treatment with a PPI is probably the best option. In patients with ERD, therapy with a standard dose PPI for 4-8 wk is always recommended.Long-term treatment of ERD is applied either intermittently or as continuous maintenance treatment with an attempt to reduce the daily dosage of the PPI (step-down principle).In selected patients requiring long-term PPI treatment,antireflux surgery is an alternative option. In patients with troublesome reflux symptoms and without alarming features empirical PPI therapy is another option for initial management. Therapy should be withdrawn after initial success. In the case of relapse, the long-term care depends on a careful risk assessment and the response to PPI therapy.

Management of functional dyspepsia: Unsolved problems and new perspectives

The common characteristic criteria of all functional gastrointestinal(GI)disorders are the persistence and recurrence of variable gastrointestinal symptoms that cannot be explained by any structural or biochemical abnormalities. Functional dyspepsia (FD) represents one of the important GI disorders in Western countries because of its remarkably high prevalence in general population and its impact on quality of life. Due to its dependence on both subjective determinants and diverse country-specific circumstances, the definition and management strategies of FD are still variably stated.Clinical trials with several drug classes (e.g., proton pump inhibitors, H2-blockers, prokinetic drugs) have been performed frequently without validated diseasespecific test instruments for the outcome measurements.Therefore, the interpretation of such trials remains difficult and controversial with respect to comparability and evaluation of drug efficacy, and definite conclusions can be drawn neither for diagnostic management nor for efficacious drug therapy so far. In view of these unsolved problems, guidelines both on the clinical management of FD and on the performance of clinical trials are needed. In recent years, increasing research work has been done in this area. Clinical trials conducted in adequately diagnosed patients that provided validated outcome measurements may result in better insights leading to more effective treatment strategies.Encouraging perspectives have been recently performed by methodologically well-designed treatment studies with herbal drug preparations. Herbal drugs, given their proven efficacy in clinical trials, offer a safe therapeutic alternative in the treatment of FD which is often favored by both patients and physicians. A fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil in patients suffering from FD could be proven effective by well-designed clinical trials.

Gastro esophageal reflux disease is associated with absence from work: Results from a prospective cohort study

AIM: To study the association of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) with the absence from work and to estimate the extent of loss in gross domestic product due to inability to work.METHODS: Analysis was based on the prospectively gathered data of a large European cohort study involving 6 215 symptomatic GERD patients (ProGERD). Among these patients, 2 871 were initially employed. The calculation of the loss of gross domestic product was based on the assumption that the prevalence of GERD was about 15% in Germany. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, the mean gross wage of employees was 150 ∈/d in 2002.RESULTS: The data of 2 078 employed patients who were prospectively followed up for over 2 years were analyzed. At study entry, the patients reported a mean of 1.8 d per year of inability to work. During the prospective follow-up under routine clinical care, the proportion of patients reporting days with inability to work decreased from 14% to 6% and the mean number of days per year with inability to work decreased to 0.9 d. Assuming a prevalence of troublesome GERD of 15% in the employed German population, the loss of gross domestic product amounted to 668 million ∈/year in Germany.CONCLUSION: GERD causes a relevant impairment on the national economics by absence from work. The presented data demonstrate the importance of GERD,not only for patients and health insurance companies,but also for the community at large.