Rabeprazole and esomeprazole in mild-to-moderate erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease: A comparative study of efficacy and safety

Objective: To compare the effi cacy and safety of rabeprazole and esomeprazole in mild-to-moderate erosive gastroesophageal refl ux disease (GERD). Materials and Methods: A randomized, single-blinded, outdoor- based clinical study was conducted on 60 patients of mild-to-moderate erosive GERD. After baseline clinical assessment and investigations, rabeprazole (40 mg) was prescribed to 30 patients and esomeprazole (40 mg) to another 30 patients for 4 weeks. The effi cacy variables were change in GERD symptom scoring, endoscopic fi ndings, and Quality of Life in Refl ux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) scoring over 4 weeks. Result: Heartburn, acid regurgitation, and overall GERD symptom scoring (P = 0.01) were signifi cantly decreased with rabeprazole in comparison to esomeprazole. The comparative study of all fi ve domains of the QOLARD questionnaire including overall scoring revealed a statistically signifi cant improvement in the rabeprazole group. Endoscopic fi ndings in the rabeprazole group showed an absolute improvement of 30% and relative improvement of 55% over esomeprazole. Both the drugs were well tolerated having no signifi cant difference in the incidence of adverse effects. Conclusion: Rabeprazole (40 mg) is a better choice for mild-to-moderate GERD compared with esomeprazole (40 mg) because of its better effi cacy and safety profi le.