Table 1.
Characteristics of Studies Included in Empirical Treatment Group
| Participants | Intervention | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Author, Year Published | Design | N | Inclusion Criteria | % | EGD Findings | PPI Arm | PPI Arm | H2RA Arm | Placebo Arm | Duration, Wk |
| Armstrong, 200141 | R, DB | 208 | Significant heartburn for at least 6 mo, at least 4 episodes per wk | 40 | No erosions | Pan 40 mg/d | — | Niz 150 mg bid | — | 4 |
| 37 | Grade 1 (SM) | |||||||||
| 17 | Grade 2 (SM) | |||||||||
| 6 | Grade 3 (SM) | |||||||||
| — | Grade 4 (SM) | |||||||||
| Bardhan, 199945 | R, DB | 677 | Moderate or severe heartburn for more than 2 d in each of the previous 2 wk | 33 | No mucosal breaks | Ome 20 mg/d | Ome 10 mg/d | Ran 150 mg bid | — | 2 |
| 28 | Breaks <3mm | |||||||||
| 40 | Breaks >3mm | |||||||||
| — | Circumferential | |||||||||
| Bate, 199742 | R, DB | 221 | Heartburn predominant last mo, on at least 2 d last wk | 47 | No erosions | Ome 20 mg/d | — | Cim 400 mg qid | — | 4 |
| 24 | Isolated erosions | |||||||||
| 29 | Confluent erosions | |||||||||
| — | Esophageal ulcer | |||||||||
| Hallerback, 199846 | R, DB | 423 | At least 2 of the following: retrosternal burning pain, epigastric pain or fluid acid regurgitation but not persistent lower abdominal pain | 67 | No erosions | — | — | Ran 150 mg bid | Placebo | 2 |
| 28 | Grade 1 (SM) | |||||||||
| 4 | Grade 2 (SM) | |||||||||
| 1 | Grade 3 (SM) | |||||||||
| — | Grade 4 (SM) | |||||||||
| Hatlebakk, 199951 | R, DB | 320 | Heartburn predominant for at least 3 mo, on at least 3 d a wk in the last 2 wks | 47 | No esophagitis | Ome 20 mg/d | — | — | Placebo | 8 |
| 28 | Grade A (LA) | |||||||||
| 26 | Grade B (LA) | |||||||||
| — | Grade C, D (LA) | |||||||||
| Rush, 199544 | R, DB | 590 | Heartburn at least 3 mo, on at least 4 d last wk | 100 | No EGD | — | — | Ran 150 mg bid | Placebo | 6 |
| Venables, 199743 | R, DB | 994 | Heartburn predominant for at least 3 mo, on at least 2 d last wk | 68 | No erosions | Ome 20 mg/d | Ome 10 mg/d | Ran 150 mg bid | — | 4 |
| 32 | Erosions | |||||||||
| — | Ulcerations | |||||||||
R, randomized; DB, double-blinded; EGD, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (excluded groups are presented in italics), SM, Savory and Miller classification; LA, Los Angeles classification; pan, pantoprazole; ome, omeprazole; niz, nizatidine; ran, ranitidine; cim, cimetidine; bid, twice daily; qid, four times daily.