Rabeprazole-based therapy in the management of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is associated with several symptoms, such as heartburn, belching, and regurgitation, which arise from esophageal exposure to gastric acid. Symptoms may occur in the absence of endoscopically observed esophageal mucosal damage and inflammation. These patients represent the majority of those who present with GERD symptoms. Although acid suppression therapy is a logical approach to relieving GERD symptoms, it has been thought to relieve symptoms less reliably in patients with endoscopically negative, or symptomatic GERD than in those with erosive GERD. Two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials were conducted in the United States to evaluate the efficacy of rabeprazole sodium 10 mg and 20 mg compared with placebo for the relief of heartburn and other symptoms associated with symptomatic GERD. Results from these studies indicated that rabeprazole 10 or 20 mg once daily relieved heartburn within the first 1 or 2 days of treatment and also had significant positive effects on other GERD symptoms, including regurgitation, belching, bloating, satiety, and nausea. Overall, these results suggest that rabeprazole may hold a significant therapeutic advantage in the treatment of heartburn and other symptoms associated with endoscopically negative GERD, particularly in the majority of patients who often are treated empirically without, or before, endoscopic evaluation.