title: Cimetidine therapy and duodenal candidiasis: role in healing process.
abstract: Patients with Candida colonization and invasion were studied in 20 duodenal ulcer (DU) patients, 10 non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) cases and 10 controls with non-gastroenterological disorders. Of 20 DU patients, Candida albicans was cultured from duodenal aspirates of 6 (30%) DU patients and pseudohyphae, indicating invasive form, were present in two (10%) prior to treatment. NUD patients and controls had positive Candida culture in 3 (30%) and 1 (10%) cases respectively; pseudohyphae were found in none. Six DU patients (30%) failed to heal with 4 weeks of cimetidine therapy; all six showed invasion of duodenal ulcer mucosa with Candida on histology. The pseudohyphae form of Candida was always found to be associated with non-healing of DU. Candidal invasion is associated with failure to respond to, H2-receptor antagonist therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kochhar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Talwar
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D002177:Candidiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004378:Duodenal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D002927:Cimetidine