title: Ulcer healing and relapse rates after initial treatment with cimetidine or sucralfate.
abstract: Ulcer healing and relapse rates after treatment with cimetidine and sucralfate in 112 subjects with endoscopically proven gastric and duodenal ulcers were compared in a randomized trial. Four grams of sucralfate were administered in four divided doses each day; 200 mg cimetidine was administered three times during the day with the fourth dose of 400 mg given at night. The subjects were divided into four treatment groups: (1) subjects with duodenal ulcers treated with sucralfate; (2) subjects with duodenal ulcers treated with cimetidine; (3) subjects with gastric ulcers treated with sucralfate; and (4) subjects with gastric ulcers treated with cimetidine. Endoscopy was repeated at 6 weeks after treatment was initiated; subjects with unhealed ulcers at 6 weeks were reendoscoped at 12 weeks. Eighty-three percent of duodenal ulcers in subjects treated with sucralfate healed at 6 weeks, the rest by week 12. Cimetidine-treated subjects with duodenal ulcer had healing rates of 71 and 86% at 6 and 12 weeks. Cimetidine-treated subjects with gastric ulcers showed healing rates of 75 and 89% at 6 and 12 weeks, respectively. In the gastric ulcer group, 63% of sucralfate-treated subjects were healed at 6 weeks, and 78% were healed by 12 weeks, respectively. Eighty-six of the subjects were followed for 1 year or until endoscopy showed relapse. Subjects treated with cimetidine on a short-term basis relapsed earlier than those were treated with sucralfate at 12 weeks, but at 1 year, the relapse rates were about 70% for both groups.
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006146:Guanidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D011897:Random Allocation; D012008:Recurrence; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013392:Sucralfate; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D006146:Guanidines; D013392:Sucralfate; D002927:Cimetidine; D000535:Aluminum