Why the study?
What are the risk factors and clinical presentations of drug-induced esophageal lesions?
What are the risk factors and clinical presentations of drug-induced esophageal lesions?
Oral medications should be taken with sufficient fluid and while upright to prevent drug-induced esophageal lesions.
Advising upright intake with fluids may reduce lesions; leaves open prospective validation of mortality risks with potassium chloride.
Lesions of the esophageal mucosa induced by drugs, especially emepronium bromide (Cetiprin®) tetracyclines and potassium chloride tablets are reported with increasing frequency. The lesions are caused by esophageal retention of the drugs. Swallowing the tablets with too little fluid or while in a supine position are important contributing factors. Symptoms appear shortly after swallowing the drug. Severe retrosternal pain and odynophagia are the major symptoms. Endoscopically, confluent erosions are observed usually in the mid-esophagus potassium chloride may also produce ulcers. Withdrawal of the drug and antacid treatment are followed by rapid clinical improvement. Only ulcers caused by potassium chloride are associated with a high mortality rate due to severe complications. It is concluded that drugs should be taken with sufficient quantities of fluid and not immediately before going to bed.
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Eichenberger et al. (1980) studied this question.
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