Medical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Medical therapy for reflux esophagitis is designed to provide symptom relief and esophageal healing, and to prevent complications. Life-style modifications serve as an adjunct to drug therapy. Histamine-H2-receptor antagonists and prokinetic agents promote symptom relief and esophageal healing in mild esophagitis, but are less effective in the treatment of moderate to severe esophagitis. For patients with moderate to severe esophagitis, rapid symptom relief and esophageal healing have been achieved with proton pump inhibitors. These patients usually require maintenance therapy with proton pump inhibitors.