Esomeprazole Affects QOL

Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) can significantly impairhealth-related quality of life (QOL). Intheir study, F. Pace, MD, and colleaguesassessed the effects ofesomeprazole (a proton pumpinhibitor) therapy on QOL in patientswith GERD (n = 6017). Upon enrollment,patients received esomeprazole(40 mg/day) acutely for 4 weeks. Ifthis treatment was successful, theywere randomly assigned to 2 maintenanceesomeprazole treatment strategies:continuous (20 mg/day) or ondemand (for 6 months). QOL wasmeasured at baseline by the genericShort-Form 36 Questionnaire and by adisease-specific instrument, QOL inReflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD).

After the acute treatment phase, allQOLRAD dimensions showed statisticallysignificant (P < .0001) and clinicallymeaningful improvement. Therewas a statistically significant but smalldifference in QOLRAD scores at theend of the maintenance phase in favorof the continuous versus the on-demandregimen. Improved QOL wasmaintained during the 6-month followup,with patients favoring the continuous-treatment strategy, according to astudy in Alimentary Pharmacology &Therapeutics (September 2005).