Long-term quality of life improvement in subjects with healed erosive esophagitis: Treatment with lansoprazole

Abstract

Background Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic symptomatic condition and may be associated with erosive esophagitis (EE). Considerable data on the long-term maintenance of healing of EE are available, but data on long-term GERD symptom prevention and patient quality of life (QOL) are limited. Aims To investigate QOL in subjects with healed EE who received 12 months of double-blind maintenance treatment with lansoprazole or ranitidine, followed by long-term open-label lansoprazole therapy to prevent recurrence of EE. Methods Subjects with healed EE received 12 months of double-blind maintenance treatment with lansoprazole 15 mg once daily or ranitidine 150 mg twice daily, followed by dose-titrated, open-label lansoprazole therapy for up to 82 months. Results During double-blind treatment (n = 206), lansoprazole-treated patients showed significantly (P B 0.05) greater improvements than ranitidine-treated patients in the frequency, severity, and 'bothersomeness' of heartburn, the symptom index, p oblems of activity limitation, eating and drinking problems, symptom problems, health distress, and social functioning. During dose-titrated, openlabel treatment (n = 195), all disease-specific QOL scales except sleep improved significantly (P<0.001) from openlabel baseline at each time-point. Conclusions Maintenance treatment with lansoprazole for 12 months in healed EE subjects produced significantly greater improvements in QOL indicators than ranitidine. These improvements were sustained during dose-titrated, open-label lansoprazole treatment. © The Author(s) 2009. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com.