Treating Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome with Aciphex  

You may not have heard of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (ZES). It is a fairly rare condition. However, aside from diet and stress, Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome is among the more common causes of heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers.

The condition is actually caused by tiny tumors called gastrinomas that are located in the pancreas and/or the duodenum. These tumors cause the stomach to have extra acid. The symptoms are similar to peptic ulcers:

However, while gastrinomas could eventually cause a sufferer of ZES to develop peptic ulcers, the major risk involved is the tumors metastasizing and spreading throughout the body.

DIAGNOSIS

If a person suffers these symptoms, he or she-mainly 30 to 50 year old hes-will report them to a physician. That physician looks at the symptoms and, if he or she feels that it is necessary, measures the stomach acid and gastrin in the blood of the patient. If the measurements suggest it might be ZES, imaging tests such as OctreoScan, Angiography, Ultrasound, and CT Scan will be used to find tumors in the pancreas and duodenum.

PROGNOSES

TREATMENTS

One of the most common ways to treat ZES is with Aciphex. With the common name Rabeprazole, this drug comes as an extended release 20mg tablet to be taken once a day. One advantage of AcipHex is that the patient does not have to change their diet unless advised to do so by a doctor.

That Aciphex is safe to be used by adolescents (people 12 years and older) as well as adults is another big advantage over other reflux medications. Note that adolescents and adults generally experience different side effects:

Keep in mind that many people do not experience any side effects, while most side effects go away quickly as the body adjusts.