Effect of sugar cubes on acute nonspecific epigastric pain

Abstract EN

Background : Epigastric pain, is a common complaint and an important reason for patients medical consultation.

A large number of patients’ complaining of acute epigastric pain suffer hyperacidity or visceral pain of biliary, pancreatic or appendiceal origin.

Traditionally sugar plum or rock Candy are used as a solution to treat acute abdominal pain.

Aim : This clinical trial is done to find out the effects or sugar cubes on acute epigastric ,pain of 77 patients referring to GI clinic between 1993-2002.

Method : five sugar cubes chewed at once by patients suffering acute, epigastric pain with tenderness.

The effect was evaluate by asking the patients and palpation of the, abdomen and judged by Mc Nemar test. Result : 50 patients (65%) had no more complaint (P < 0.01), of the 27 no responders 1 suffered appendicitis 2 gastritis due to NSAID 1 hiatal hernia cancer of cecum 1 pleuritis , the other 21 were due to dyspepsia.

Gastroscopy was done for all patients.

None of them had cancer or ulcer or erosion.

Helicobacter pylori urease test was positive in 34 (44%), Conclusion : we can use sugar cubes empirically for treatment of acute epigastric pain and tenderness.