title: Omeprazole in the treatment of peptic ulcers resistant to H2-receptor antagonists.
abstract: Thirty patients with peptic ulcers resistant to at least 8 weeks of continuous therapy with full-dose H2-receptor antagonists alone or followed by other anti-ulcer drugs, were treated with the gastric proton pump inhibitor omeprazole (40 mg), administered orally once daily for up to 8 weeks. The study design was non-comparative and open; healing was verified by endoscopy. After only 2 weeks of treatment, 21 out of 23 (91%) duodenal ulcer patients were healed, as well as 2 out of 2 patients with both duodenal and gastric ulcer and 1 out of 3 patients with prepyloric ulcer. After 4 weeks, all duodenal ulcers, 1 out of 2 gastric ulcers and 2 out of 3 pre-pyloric ulcers were healed. A further month of therapy healed the gastric ulcer to give an overall healing rate of 97% and leaving only one patient (pre-pyloric ulcer) unhealed at the end of the study. Of 19 patients suffering ulcer symptoms at entry, only two patients reported any symptoms at 2 weeks and one of these (who remained unhealed) continued to have symptoms throughout the study. One patient reported mild asthenia; otherwise, no clinical or biochemical side-effects were recorded. It is concluded that omeprazole is highly effective in healing refractory peptic ulcers.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Pulido Valente, Nucleo de Estudos de Ulcera Peptica, Alameda das Linhas de Torres, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Guerreiro
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Quina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D009853:Omeprazole