Researchers Learning More About Chronic Stomach Acid Via Wireless Pill
Episode # 64
Uploaded: August 10, 2011
Running Time: 03:26
CROWN: From the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, this is CLINICAL CENTER RADIO.
Acid-related gastrointestinal disorders such as reflux, heartburn and ulcers are common conditions, yet can be difficult to diagnose and treat. While patients have several therapy options including acid-blocking medications, many people still suffer symptoms. And other people may find relief from their symptoms but could still have silent damage from acid. Dr. Doug Weinstein from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that to get a better view of what’s happening inside a person with an acid-related gastrointestinal disorder, researchers are trying out a new tool -- a wireless capsule called the SmartPill®.
WEINSTEIN: It is a capsule with a PH monitor on it. PH is basically a measure of how much acid somebody has at any given time. After the person swallows it, then we give the person a meal which is Ensure®. Then we watch how the PH changes in their stomach and that tells us how much acid the person is making.
CROWN: Researchers are comparing the SmartPill® with current testing methods. They want to learn if the SmartPill® is a safe and effective option, especially because current tests such as endoscopies are more expensive and invasive.
WEINSTEIN: So the SmartPill® would be much easier. It is just the simple swallowing of the pill and then recording of the patient’s data over the course of a few hours. And that is enough information for the patient to make a decision, rather than having one of these other invasive, uncomfortable and sometimes expensive tests.
CROWN: Their study includes two groups -- people who continue to have symptoms while on acid blocking medication and those who no longer have symptoms but continue to take medication. Dr. Weinstein says it crucial to include patients who “feel” like their acid-related disorder is controlled.
WEINSTEIN: It’s been shown many times that symptoms and damage to the GI track, specifically the esophagus, don’t always go together. So you can have patients who have no symptoms but who have damage because of acid.
CROWN: Dr. Weinstein says, ultimately, this tool could arm doctors and patients with a more accurate way to decide whether the patient truly needs more acid-blocking medication, or whether their symptoms are probably not related to acid. This is important because long-term use of acid-blocking medication may not be entirely safe. Dr. Weinstein cites recent research showing osteoporosis and diarrhea infections are more common in people who chronically use these medications.
WEINSTEIN: We are not just getting information about their acid. We are getting information about their entire GI track. The pill actually records the pressure of the GI track and the temperature. So it will allow us to see how their whole GI track moves and this information could also be potentially useful for the patient, and may be useful to us in the future for research in other areas of the GI track.
CROWN: If you would like more information about this study, or one of the 1,500 other studies offered at the NIH Clinical Center, log on to http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov. For this study, refer to protocol number 08-DK-0138. You may also call toll free 1-866-999-5553. From America's Clinical Research Hospital, this has been CLINICAL CENTER RADIO. In Bethesda, Maryland, I'm Ellen Crown, at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health.
Back to Clinical Center Radio
