[Maintenance therapy of ulcer disease. Comparative multicenter study of sucralfate, cimetidine and a placebo]

Relapse rates were studied in one hundred patients in a multicentric, randomized trial during and after maintenance therapy comparing sucralfate, cimetidine and placebo. These patients were previously treated by cimetidine for peptic ulcer and were considered cured after endoscopic examination. Outpatients were randomly assigned to a 6 month maintenance treatment with either cimetidine (600 mg daily), sucralfate (300 mg daily) or a placebo. All patients underwent endoscopic evaluation after 3 and 6 months of therapy. A clinical évaluation was performed 6 months after all treatment had ceased. Clinical and endoscopic results proved the significant superiority of both sucralfate and cimetidine over the placebo. Remission rates with sucralfate were respectively 80,4 p. 100 after 6 months and 68,5 p. 100 after 12 months. These results were slightly superior to those observed with cimetidine (69,3 p. 100 and 61,3 p. 100). However, this difference is not statistically significant. Results for the placebo group were 47,9 p. 100 and 37,7 p. 100. Sucralfate is an effective medication in preventing the recurrence of peptic ulcer. Its pharmacological action, its few side effects and its effectiveness seem to make this medication very interesting in treating the ulcerous disease.