Background/Aims:Esomeprazole, an S-isomer of omeprazole, has a potent acid-suppressive effect. It has been prescribed for years, but no reported data had been available with respect to Korean patients. We evaluated the rate of symptom relief, healing rate of reflux esophagitis, and adverse effects in Korean gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients after esomeprazole therapy.
Methods:A total of 246 patients with typical GERD symptoms were enrolled in the study. They were divided into the non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) group and the reflux esophagitis (RE) group by endoscopic findings. In the NERD group, symptomatic improvement was evaluated after 4 weeks of esomeprazole 20 mg therapy. In the RE group, symptomatic improvement and endoscopic examination were evaluated after 4 weeks of esomeprazole 40 mg therapy. If remnant esophagitis was detected after 4 weeks, another 4 weeks therapy was performed on the RE group.
Results:After esomeprazole therapy, symptomatic improvement was observed in 87.9% of the 124 NERD patients and in 92.1% of the 122 RE patients. In the RE group, complete remission of esophagitis ocurred in 91.0% of the patients. Adverse effects arose in 19 cases (7.9%).
Conclusions:Esomeprazole relieved GERD symptoms and improved esophagitis without significant adverse effects in most of the patients. Esomeprazole can be considered an effective and safe drug for Korean GERD patients.
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