Treatment of Gastric Ulcer with Ranitidine

Abstract

Forty-eight patients with endoscopically proven gastric ulcer were treated either with ranitidine tablets, 150 mg twice daily, or with placebo tablets under double-blind conditions. Three patients were for various reasons excluded from the study. After 6 weeks' treatment a second endoscopy was performed. The ulcer had healed in 22 (88%) of the 25 patients who had received ranitidine tablets and in 4 (20%) of the 20 patients who had received placebo tablets. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.002). The number of days and nights with pain attacks and the number of antacid tablets consumed were significantly (p < 0.002) lower in the patient group treated with ranitidine. The 3 patients with non-healed ulcer after treatment with ranitidine had their ulcers healed after a further 6 weeks' treatment with ranitidine, and of the 16 patients with non-healed ulcer after treatment with placebo tablets, 13 had their ulcers healed after 6 weeks' open treatment with ranitidine, 150mg twice daily. No serious side effects that could be ascribed to treatment occurred during the study.

Key words:

• Gastric ulcer
• gastric ulcer treatment
• histamine H₂-receptor antagonist
• ranitidine