Application of mineral waters in the complex treatment of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common gastric pathologies. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the healing effects of mineral waters (MW). METHODS: Ninety patients with GERD were under observation. The study used the following methods: anamnestic, clinical, studies of biochemical blood parameters, ultrasonographic studies of the digestive system, fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy with intragastric pH-metric. After preliminary research, all patients were randomly divided into three groups of 30 people. The control group (group 1) who were prescribed a basic treatment complex-dietary and proton pump inhibitor group drugs. Patients of group 2 in addition to the standard course of treatment received boric highly mineralized bicarbonate sodium water. Patients of group 3 in addition to the basic therapy were prescribed an internal course treatment of highly mineralized sulfate-bicarbonate sodium-magnesium water. RESULTS: The use of the basic complex of treatment for a month in control group did not lead to a significant leveling of signs of dyspeptic and asthenic syndromes. The use of boron highly mineralized sodium bicarbonate water led to a significant leveling of signs of abdominal pain and dyspeptic syndromes, improvement of acid-forming function of the stomach, but no reliable dynamics were observed in eliminating signs of cytolytic, mesenchymal inflammatory and cholestatic syndromes. Application of highly mineralized sulfate-hydrocarbonate sodium magnesium water improves the elimination of dyspepsia and pain syndromes, normalization of the functional state of the liver. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained data confirm the prospects of using highly mineralized mineral waters in the complex treatment of GERD patients.

Use of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of background HCV infection cannot be overestimated in view of the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C and the risk of adverse outcomes of this disease. Purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined use of antiviral therapy (Roferon + Vero-Ribavirin) and resort factors in patients with chronic hepatitis C in the phase of replication. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We observed 48 patients with chronic hepatitis C; the minimum level of activity of the process defined the phase of replication. Markers of HCV infection were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (a-HCV and HCV-Ig M). HCV RNA was determined twice by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotyping of hepatitis C virus was performed. Biochemical blood analysis and the study of HCV infection markers were carried out four times. Results of therapy were assessed immediately after the end of the resort (spa) treatment, then at 3, 6 and 12 months after starting treatment. At 12 months after starting treatment, all the observed patients had persistent clinical and biochemical remission. Elimination of the virus from the blood was noted in 56% of the control group and 74% of patients in the study group. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with moderately active HCV, the replication phase was characterized by asthenic-vegetative syndrome (100% of patients) with severe depression (22.92%), pain (77.08%) and dyspeptic syndrome (33.33%), moderate hypertransferaseemia (100%), slightly pronounced cholestasis (33% of patients), and signs of mesenchymal-inflammatory response.