Analysis of Clinical Predictors of Resolution of Sleep Disturbance Related to Frequent Nighttime Heartburn and Acid Regurgitation Symptoms in Individuals Taking Esomeprazole 20 mg or Placebo

Background and Objective Sleep disturbances related to reflux symptoms have a significant impact on the daily lives of affected individuals. These analyses identified clinical factors related to resolution of reflux-related sleep disturbance in subjects treated with esomeprazole 20 mg for 14 days. Methods Data from the first 14 days of 2 similar randomized, double-blind studies were pooled for subjects experiencing frequent heartburn and related sleep disturbances receiving esomeprazole 20 mg ( n = 357) or placebo ( n = 346). A stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed with pooled and individual study data to evaluate relationships between clinical factors [treatment (esomeprazole vs. placebo), run-in sleep disturbance frequency, occurrence (yes/no) of 24‐h, daytime, and nighttime heartburn (yes: ≥1 episode in 14-day treatment period)] and complete sleep disturbance resolution (no disturbances for 7 consecutive days). Results Absence of daytime ( p = 0.0018) or nighttime ( p < 0.0001) heartburn during treatment was a significant predictor of complete sleep disturbance resolution at 14 days for the total population, while higher run-in sleep disturbance frequency ( p < 0.0001) was associated with a lower likelihood of resolution. Esomeprazole treatment was an independent significant predictor of improvement across all endpoints ( p < 0.0001). A significant treatment by run-in sleep disturbance interaction was observed for complete resolution ( p = 0.0231), indicating greater therapeutic benefit with esomeprazole in subgroups with higher run-in symptom frequency. Conclusions Lower run-in sleep disturbance frequency, no occurrence of daytime or nighttime heartburn during therapy, and esomeprazole treatment predicted complete reflux-related sleep disturbance resolution. The magnitude of therapeutic benefit for esomeprazole 20 mg over placebo increased with increasing baseline sleep disturbance.