Antacids in the treatment of duodenal ulcer

Fifty patients with endoscopically proven pyloric-prepyloric ulcers (PU/PPU) and 50 with duodenal ulcers (DU) completed a six-week double-blind clinical trial initially comprising 124 patients. The antacid-treated patients received 10 ml of an antacid suspension seven times a day (buffering 367.5 mmol acid). Healing rate after three weeks of treatment was 74% in the antacid and 42% in the placebo group (p less than 0.01). After six weeks the corresponding figures were 96 and 68% (p less than 0.001). Regarding the PU/PPU and DU subgroups we found significant differences compared to placebo in the PU/PPU group only. Antacids caused a significantly faster and more perceptible pain relief than placebo. We found no significant correlation between ulcer healing and smoking habits. Regression analyses showed that, besides antacids, ulcer size and peak acid output influenced the healing rate significantly.