Investigation of the Efficacy of Short-term Use of Lansoprazole in the Treatment of Reflux Esophagitis in Children

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and side effects of short-and long-term use of lansoprazole recommended for use in the treatment of reflux esophagitis in the pediatric age group. Methods: This study included a total of 148 patients aged 8 to 18 years, who were diagnosed with reflux esophagitis through endoscopy between January 2017 and January 2018. Patients were consecutively divided into two groups. A single oral 15 mg/day dose lansoprazole was administered for children with a weight of 30 kg whereas 30 mg/day dose was administered for those with a weight of 30 kg. The drug was administered for four weeks in Group 1 and eight weeks in Group 2. Control endoscopy was performed at the end of the treatment in both groups. Esophagitis levels classified according to the Los Angeles classification were compared. Headache, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, bloating, and upper respiratory tract infections that were not present initially but developed after drug use were considered as side effects. Findings: The 118 patients remaining after those who did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded from the study were consecutively divided into groups. Group 1 consisted of 58 patients and Group 2 consisted of 60 patients. The recovery rate was 89.5% after four weeks in Group 1 while this rate was 91.2% after eight weeks in Group 2. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The most common side effects in both groups were abdominal pain, headache, and diarrhoea, which were seen at a rate of 3.4%, 3.7%, and 3.1% in Group 2, respectively. In Group 1, these rates were found to be 1.6%, 2.1%, and 1.9%, respectively. Although the difference between the groups was not statistically significant, the incidence of side effects was low in Group 1. Conclusion: In children who develop reflux esophagitis due to gastroesophageal disease, four-week lansoprazole treatment is as effective as the eight-week treatment. However, further randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm the finding of this study.