[Erosive reflux-esophagitis and its treatment]

Altogether 78 patients were examined over time. They had erosive reflux esophagitis that complicated the course of duodenal ulcer (in 42 patients, hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid was the leading mechanism of the disease development) and chronic gastroduodenitis (36 persons manifested failure of the inferior sphincter of the esophagus with or without excess acid output). In patients with peptic ulcer exacerbation, the four-week treatment with cimetidine or gastrozepine compared very favourably with almagel and vicalin as regards the treatment efficacy. In chronic gastroduodenitis, the combination of almagel, vicalin and cerucal produced a therapeutic effect that did not yield to the effect of cimetidine or gastrozepine. In 1/5-2/5 of cases, erosive esophagitis was not amenable by the four-week treatment. In 17 out of 18 such patients, the two-week therapy with sucralfat (venter) resulted in the disappearance of esophagitis with multiple erosions. During 1-2 years, erosive reflux esophagitis recurred in 11 out of 34 patients with peptic ulcer and in 2 out of 17 suffering from chronic gastroduodenitis. In all the cases, the disease recurred in those patients who had not received systematic treatment with antisecretory and cytoprotector agents.