title: Effect of the H2 receptor antagonist nizatidine on xerostomia in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.
abstract: In Sjögren's syndrome (SS), oral dryness (xerostomia) is frequently the most bothersome symptom. An H2 histamine receptor antagonist is often administered to SS patients to treat associated superficial gastritis. The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of nizatidine, an H2 receptor antagonist, to also relieve xerostomia in patients with primary SS. Twenty-seven patients with primary SS were randomly assigned to receive nizatidine (n=14, 300 mg a day) or another H2 blocker, famotidine (n=13, 40 mg a day; control), were followed for eight weeks, and were asked for both subjective and objective assessments of oral dryness using a visual analog scale (VAS; 1-100 mm) and the Saxon's test, respectively. Patients receiving oral nizatidine, but not famotidine, obtained significant objective relief from their xerostomia (Saxon's test; baseline, 0.57 g/2 min; after eight weeks, 0.90 g/2 min, P<0.05). VAS scores indicated that nizatidine also provides mild improvement (20% improvement over baseline) of xerostomia-related clinical conditions, including mouth dryness and difficulty in chewing, tasting and swallowing food. Both drugs were generally well tolerated, without adverse effects. The present preliminary study suggests that nizatidine may represent a new option for the treatment of xerostomia in SS.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-8666, Japan. tkasama@med.showa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasama
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isozaki
authors.forename: Mizuho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsunawa
authors.forename: Kuninobu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Odai
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Negishi
authors.forename: Hirotsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ide
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015738:Famotidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016567:Nizatidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D015738:Famotidine; D016567:Nizatidine