Abstract
We treated 23 male and 25 female patients (ranging from 22-87 years of age, 57 years in average) with an abnormal sensation in the throat (AST) possibly due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) using an oral proton pump inhibitor (PPI), lansoprazole 15mg/day, for 2 weeks. The complete cure rate for heart burn (a typical symptom of GERD) was 80% which was considered to be a satisfactory rate of success. However, the rate for AST was relatively low and limited to a 23% success rate. The efficacy of medication for heart burn therefore very weakly correlated with that for AST (Spearman's p=0.47, p=0.06). An increase in daily dosage of PPI or the prolongation of the medication period may possibly increase the complete cure rate for AST, as described elsewhere by other authors. As a result, the treatment of patients with AST and concomitant GERD symptoms by the administration of lansoprazole was therefore found to effectively improve their quality of life.
