title: Reduction of aspirin-induced gastrointestinal bleeding with cimetidine.
abstract: Aspirin induces gastric mucosal damage and bleeding in the presence of acid. Cimetidine, the histamine H2-receptor antagonist, reduces basal and stimulated acid secretion. Arthritic patients taking fixed doses of aspirin who were found to have aspirin-induced occult gastrointestinal bleeding were given cimetidine in a randomized double blind, crossover study. Autologous 51Cr-labeled blood was measured in 4-day stool collections at the end of each 4-week period of placebo and cimetidine therapy in 22 acid-producing patients. Mean daily fecal blood loss was reduced during cimetidine therapy to 2.2 +/- 0.3 ml per day, compared with 4.1 +/- 0.7 ml per day during placebo therapy (P= 0.002).
mesh_terms: D001168:Arthritis / Q000188:drug therapy; D001241:Aspirin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000378:metabolism; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006146:Guanidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010919:Placebos
chemical_list: D006146:Guanidines; D010919:Placebos; D002927:Cimetidine; D001241:Aspirin