Lansoprazole for Maintenance of Remission of Erosive Oesophagitis

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, which is experienced daily by a significant proportion of individuals, may result in serious sequelae such as erosive oesophagitis. Short-term treatment with acid antisecretory therapy (a proton pump inhibitor or a histamine H2 receptor antagonist) is highly effective in healing the erosive oesophagitis lesion. However, numerous studies confirm that unless maintenance therapy is initiated virtually all patients will experience oesophagitis relapse within 1 year, as well as an increasing severity of oesophagitis and risk for complications such as Barrett’s oesophagus and adenocarcinoma.