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Cimetidine and portal pressure in chronic liver disease
Canadian Medical Association Journal
|January 15, 1983
Insights
Cimetidine, a histamine H2-receptor antagonist, did not significantly alter portal pressure in patients with chronic liver disease. These findings do not support its use for managing esophageal varices bleeding.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Gastroenterology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Portal hypertension is a serious complication of chronic liver disease.
- Esophageal varices bleeding is a major cause of mortality in these patients.
- Histamine H2-receptor antagonists were proposed to reduce portal pressure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of cimetidine on portal pressure in patients with chronic liver disease.
- To evaluate the potential of histamine H2-receptor antagonists in managing portal hypertension.
Main Methods:
- Portal pressure was measured in 10 patients with chronic liver disease.
- Measurements were taken before and after cimetidine infusion.
Main Results:
- Cimetidine administration showed no significant effect on portal pressure.
- The drug did not alleviate portal hypertension in the studied cohort.
Conclusions:
- The study does not support the use of cimetidine for reducing portal pressure.
- Current findings do not validate the therapeutic potential of histamine H2-receptor antagonists in managing bleeding esophageal varices.
Abstract:
Portal pressure was determined in 10 patients with chronic liver disease before and after an infusion of cimetidine. The drug had no significant effect on portal hypertension. Suggestions that histamine H2-receptor antagonists, by decreasing portal pressure, may be useful in the management of bleeding from esophageal varices are not supported by these results.