title: 1- and 4-week cimetidine treatment for duodenal ulcer.
abstract: Forty-eight patients with symptomatic duodenal ulcer were randomized to 4 weeks' treatment with cimetidine, 1 g/day (C4), or 1 week of cimetidine treatment followed by 3 weeks of placebo (C1 + P). The study was performed double blind. The symptoms were recorded daily on a visual analogue scale. Endoscopy was performed after 4 weeks. Two patients receiving C1 + P dropped out during the 2nd week because of worsening symptoms. With the two dropouts being recorded as 'unhealed ulcers', the 4-week healing rates were 16 of 24 (67%) and 15 of 24 (63%), with C4 and C1 + P, respectively (p greater than 0.05). Even without including the two dropouts, the patients treated with C1 + P had significantly more symptoms during the 2nd and 3rd treatment week than those treated with C4. The present study indicates that 1 week of cimetidine treatment is not sufficient in patients with duodenal ulcer.
mesh_terms: D002927:Cimetidine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D002927:Cimetidine