Relationship between gastric acid suppression and healing of peptic ulcers in children

Objective: This study was to examine the relationship between gastric acid suppression and healing of peptic ulcers in children. Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven patients (6-14 years old) with peptic ulcers confirmed by gastroscopy were randomized to receive ranitidine (n=16) and omeprazole (n=11) for five weeks. Intragastric 24hour pH monitoring was performed before treatment and repeated three times during the treatment: day one, week one, and week five. Endoscopy was repeated after five weeks of treatment. Results: All patients in the omeprazole group were healed, as were 10 of the 16 patients (63%) in the ranitidine group. The maximal suppression of gastric acidity by omeprazole appeared during the first week and continued for four weeks. For the ranitidine group, the gastric pH and duration with gastric pH > 3 remained almost stable in the healed patients, while the gastric acid suppressive effect attenuated significantly and disappeared at the end of the treatment in the unhealed patients. The Helicobacter pylori status after eradicative treatment was comparable between the healed and unhealed patients. Conclusion: These findings indicate that a higher degree and a longer duration of gastric acid suppression are beneficial for healing of peptic ulcers in children.