title: Maintenance treatment with H2 receptor antagonists in patients with peptic ulcer disease: rarely justified in terms of cost or patient benefit.
abstract: Maintenance treatment reduces the frequency of ulcer relapse. Its routine use is unnecessary because the condition is benign and most patients do not relapse frequently. Routine maintenance treatment does not reduce the incidence of complications of ulcers overall, although it may do so in specific groups mentioned above. Routine maintenance treatment for all patients with ulcers would be expensive as well as largely unnecessary.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Howden
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists