Long-term ranitidine treatment for the maintenance of duodenal ulcer healing

The purpose of the present trial was to verify the efficacy and safety of long-term ranitidine treatment (150 mg at bedtime for 1 year) for the maintenance of duodenal ulcer healing in 22 patients following a successful short-term course of therapy with ranitidine at the full dose of 300 mg per day. Of the 16 patients who completed the trial - there were 6 drop-outs - 4 suffered relapses during the year of treatment (25% cumulative recurrence rate), while remission persisted in the remaining 12 patients (75%). Biochemical tests revealed no statistically significant differences in mean fasting serum pepsinogen and trypsinogen as compared to mean basal values. Mean fasting serum gastrin showed a statistically significant rise from 156 +/- 27 S.D. to 258 +/- 110 S.D. pg/ml (p less than 0.01) only at the 12th month of therapy and rapidly returned to normal (162 +/- 34 S.D.) as soon as therapy was discontinued. No side-effects of any consequence were observed.