Ulcer healing and relapse rates after initial treatment with cimetidine or sucralfate

Ulcer healing and relapse rates after treatment with cimetidine and sucralfate in 112 subjects with endoscopically proven gastric and duodenal ulcers were compared in a randomized trial. Four grams of sucralfate were administered in four divided doses each day; 200 mg cimetidine was administered three times during the day with the fourth dose of 400 mg given at night. The subjects were divided into four treatment groups: (1) subjects with duodenal ulcers treated with sucralfate; (2) subjects with duodenal ulcers treated with cimetidine; (3) subjects with gastric ulcers treated with sucralfate; and (4) subjects with gastric ulcers treated with cimetidine. Endoscopy was repeated at 6 weeks after treatment was initiated; subjects with unhealed ulcers at 6 weeks were reendoscoped at 12 weeks. Eighty-three percent of duodenal ulcers in subjects treated with sucralfate healed at 6 weeks, the rest by week 12. Cimetidine-treated subjects with duodenal ulcer had healing rates of 71 and 86% at 6 and 12 weeks. Cimetidine-treated subjects with gastric ulcers showed healing rates of 75 and 89% at 6 and 12 weeks, respectively. In the gastric ulcer group, 63% of sucralfate-treated subjects were healed at 6 weeks, and 78% were healed by 12 weeks, respectively. Eighty-six of the subjects were followed for 1 year or until endoscopy showed relapse. Subjects treated with cimetidine on a short-term basis relapsed earlier than those were treated with sucralfate at 12 weeks, but at 1 year, the relapse rates were about 70% for both groups.