1- and 4-week cimetidine treatment for duodenal ulcer

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.