5. Maintenance Treatment versus No Treatment in Patients with Duodenal Ulcer Disease

Abstract

population of 388 patients with duodenal ulcers, 265 patients received continuous maintenance treatment with ranitidine (RNT MT group) and 123 patients had periods of time without active anti-ulcer therapy (RNT NOMT group). The proportions of patients remaining free from symptomatic recurrence of ulcer during maintenance treatment (RNT MT) were 93% at 1 year, 87% at 3 years, and 85% at 5 years, compared with 51% at 1 year, 25% at 3 years, and 14% at 5 years in patients who were not receiving treatment (RNT NOMT). This result was highly significant (P = 0.0001, logrank test). Incidence density analysis of all patients showed that the average number of symptomatic recurrences per month was 0.0057 during maintenance treatment and 0.0629 during periods without active treatment (P = 0.0001). This study showed that maintenance treatment with ranitidine for 5 years significantly reduced the rate of symptomatic recurrence of ulcer in patient with duodenal ulcer disease.

Key Words:

• Duodenal ulcer
• maintenance treatment
• ranitidine