[Therapy of stomach ulcer with sucralfate and ranitidine. A multicenter double-blind study]

134 outpatients with acute benign gastric ulcer confirmed by endoscopic biopsy received either 1 g sucralfate suspension four times daily or one 150 mg ranitidine tablet twice daily for six to 12 weeks in a multicentre therapy study (double-blind study according to the double-dummy technique). After six to 12 weeks, respectively, 56% and 82% of the ulcers had healed in the sucralfate group. The rates of healing in the ranitidine group were 72% and 88%, respectively. The differences in the rates of healing between sucralfate and ranitidine were not statistically significant. Ranitidine was superior to the sucralfate suspension in corpus ulcer. In the distally located ulcers, the two kinds of treatment were equivalent. There were no appreciable differences between the medications with regard to antacid consumption and compliance. Gastric pain was influenced better by ranitidine than by sucralfate.