Abstract

Thirty two consecutive patients (age range 6 months-13.4 years) with severe reflux oesophagitis were randomised to a therapeutic trial for eight weeks during which they received either standard doses of omeprazole (40 mg/day/1.73 m2 surface area) or high doses of ranitidine (20 mg/kg/day). Twenty five patients completed the trial (12 on omeprazole, 13 on ranitidine). At entry and at the end of the trial patients underwent symptomatic score assessment, endoscopic and histological evaluation of the oesophagus, and simultaneous oesophageal and gastric pH measurement; results are given as median (range). Both therapeutic regimens were effective in decreasing clinical score (omeprazole before 24.0 (15-33), after 9.0 (0-18); ranitidine before 19.5 (12-33), after 9.0 (6-12)), in improving the histological degree of oesophagitis (omeprazole before 8.0 (6-10), after 2.0 (0-60); ranitidine before 8.0 (8-10), after 2.0 (2-6), and in reducing oesophageal acid exposure, measured as minutes of reflux at 24 hour pH monitoring (omeprazole before 129.4 (84-217), after 44.6 (0.16-128); ranitidine before 207.3 (66-306), after 58.4 (32-128)) as well as intragastric acidity, measured as median intragastric pH (omeprazole before 2.1 (1.0-3.0), after 5.1 (2.2-7.4); ranitidine before 1.9 (1.6-4), after 3.4 (2.3-5.3)). Serum gastrin concentration was > 150 ng/l in four patients on omeprazole and in three patients on ranitidine. It is concluded that in children with refractory reflux oesophagitis high doses of ranitidine are comparable with omeprazole for the healing of oesophagitis and relief of symptoms; both drugs resulted in efficacious reduction of intragastric acidity and intra-oesophageal acid exposure.