Efficacy of rebamipide for low-dose aspirin-related gastrointestinal symptoms.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are a problematic issue for patients who take low-dose aspirin for long time. We conducted a pilot study to investigate the efficacy of combination therapy with proton pump inhibitor and rebamipide. This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. All the subjects received aspirin 100 mg and omeprazole 20 mg. The subjects were divided into two groups and received either rebamipide 300 mg or placebo, which was prescribed for 4 weeks. The subjects were instructed to record their gastrointestinal symptom rating scale before the study and 1 and 4 weeks after beginning the protocol. These scores of the groups were compared before and after the treatment to evaluate the severity of their symptoms and the number of symptom items present in each group. For the subjects receiving rebamipide, the total prevalence of lower gastrointestinal symptoms was significantly different from the placebo group (p=0.0093) at week 4. No troublesome symptoms were observed in the rebamipide group. Inconclusion, the administration of rebamipide prevented the occurrence of troublesome symptoms, especially lower gastrointestinal symptoms, in patients taking aspirin and omeprazole. Rebamipide is a candidate drug for combination therapy with proton pump inhibitors to prevent low-dose aspirin-induced gastrointestinal symptoms.

Gastritis associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Infectious mononucleosis is a self-limiting clinical syndrome caused by primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. EBV-associated gastritis, however, has rarely been documented. We report a case of a 17-year-old woman who presented with fever, sore throat, and epigastric pain. Upper endoscopy revealed diffuse granular mucosae and elevated lesions in the stomach. Histologically, the biopsied mucosa was infiltrated by numerous atypical lymphocytes. From clinical, histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization analyses, we diagnosed EBV-associated gastritis. Her symptoms spontaneously resolved, and follow-up endoscopy revealed improvement and no atypical lymphocytes. To prevent misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, the possibility of EBV-associated gastritis should be considered.

Cap polyposis (CP) which relapsed after remission by avoiding straining at defecation, and was cured by Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy.

A 52-year-old woman was diagnosed with cap polyposis (CP) with characteristic clinical, endoscopic, and histological features. By avoiding straining at defecation, her symptoms improved temporarily, however recrudesced. She was diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, and received eradication therapy successfully. After this eradication therapy, her symptoms and colonoscopic findings recovered completely. Only two reports in the English language literature have discussed the relationship between CP and eradication therapy for H. pylori, all patients achieved complete recovery. We recommend H. pylori testing for all cases of CP and H. pylori eradication therapy if necessary.