Relationship between intragastric acid control and healing status in the treatment of moderate to severe erosive oesophagitis

Aim To assess the relationship between the percentage of time intragastric pH > 4.0 and healing of erosive oesophagitis. Methods In this proof-of-concept study, adults with endoscopically verified Los Angeles grade C or grade D erosive oesophagitis were randomly assigned to oral esomeprazole 10 or 40 mg once daily for 4 weeks. On day 5, patients underwent 24-h pH monitoring. At 4 weeks, erosive oesophagitis healing status was endoscopically assessed. Investigators scored gastro-oesophageal reflux disease symptoms on a 4-point scale [none to severe (0-3)] before and 4 weeks after treatment. The percentage of time intragastric pH was > 4.0 and healing status were correlated and tested for significance using a Spearman rank correlation (r). Results 103 patients had evaluable data (mean age, 48.7 years; 65% men). Mean percentages of time with intragastric pH > 4.0 on day 5 in patients with healed and unhealed erosive oesophagitis were 61% and 42%, respectively (P = 0.0002), indicating that erosive oesophagitis healing rates were positively related to the percentage of time intragastric pH was > 4.0. Greater intragastric acid control correlated with lower final daytime and night-time heartburn and acid regurgitation symptom scores (r = -0.029, -0.029 and -0.021; P = 0.003, 0.003 and 0.032, respectively). Conclusion A positive relationship between intragastric acid control and erosive oesophagitis healing was demonstrated.