A CLINICAL STUDY OF DRUG-INDUCED ESOPHAGEAL ULCER

Abstract

We have experienced sixteen cases of drug-induced esophageal ulcer. The causative drugs were thought to be antibiotics in 11 cases (doxycycline in five cases, bacampicillin in two cases, cef otiam in two cases, clindamycine in one case and minocycline in one case), analgesic in 3 cases (dicrof enac natrium in two cases and indomethacin in one case), KCl in one case and ferrous sulfate in one case. The forms of causative drugs were tablet in ten cases and capsule in six cases. All cases complained of heartburn and retrosternal pain. Two cases complained of hematemesis. Five cases took a drug without water and two cases did on supine position. Nine cases of drug-induced ulcers were observed in the middle esophagus, and seven cases were in the lower esophagus. The ulcers were single in eleven cases and multiple in five cases in number. Most of cases healed rapidly with medical treatment. But, the cases with hiatus herniation healed more slowly than those without it. We experienced the intractable cases which had been caused partly by esophageal dysfunction, such as lowering of LES (lower esophageal sphincter) and primary peristalsis.