Maintenance treatment in the prevention of gastric ulcer recurrence: results of a 3-year multicenter study

This study reports data from the third year of a multicenter, prospective, open, 3-year trial in which 290 patients with gastric ulcer followed different treatment protocols (ranitidine or sucralfate or no drug) during the first 2 years. One hundred forty-two patients completed the first 2 years; 50 of them completed the third-year investigation. All 50 patients were left untreated and underwent clinical tests every 3 months and endoscopic checkups every 6 months and for every painful episode lasting more than 3 days. During year 3 follow-up, 1 patient dropped out and 2 had relapses. Mean consumption of antacids ranged from zero to three tablets per week. No gastric neoplasms were detected during the third year of follow-up. These findings suggest that no treatment may be needed in the long-term management of patients with gastric ulcer. No malignancies were found during the second and third years of follow-up, suggesting that close endoscopic examination is necessary only for 6 months after the acute lesion has healed. Maintenance therapy with antisecretory or cytoprotective drugs may be advisable for 1 year

Cure of Helicobacter pylori-positive active duodenal ulcer patients: a double-blind, multicentre, 12-month study comparing a two-week dual vs a one-week triple therapy. GISU (Interdisciplinary Group for Ulcer Study)

To compare a two-week dual therapy to a one-week triple therapy for the healing of duodenal ulcer and the eradication of the Helicobacter pylori infection

SUCRALFATE, RANITIDINE AND NO TREATMENT IN GASTRIC-ULCER MANAGEMENT - A MULTICENTER, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, 24-MONTH FOLLOW-UP WITH A STUDY OF RISK-FACTORS OF RELAPSE

This multicenter, prospective, randomized, open, long-term study compares sucralfate (2 g daily) with ranitidine (150 mg daily) and no treatment in gastric ulcer (GU). We report the results of the second year of a scheduled 3-year follow-up, the outcome of the 1st year has been reported earlier. The 24-month follow-up was completed by 142 patients who were continuously either treated with the drug randomly assigned at the beginning of the study or left untreated (i.e. 32 patients took 150 mg ranitidine at bedtime, 29 took 1 g sucralfate twice daily and 81 were left untreated, 23 of whom came from the ranitidine group, 19 from the sucralfate group and 39 from the untreated group). Seven patients dropped out and 26 subjects relapsed (5 under ranitidine, 4 under sucralfate and 17 untreated cases). Ranitidine versus previous ranitidine, sucralfate versus previous sucralfate and each one versus no treatment showed comparable relapse rates. An additional study, using Cox's models, showed that three variables have a significant correlation with relapse during the 1st year of follow-up: therapy carried out (p = 0.0025), symptoms (p = 0.0047) and family history of ulcer (p = 0.0392). In conclusion, both ranitidine 150 mg and sucralfate 2 g proved effective in reducing GU relapse as compared with no treatment, an effect which does not seem to persist during the 2nd year of therapy, when the 'no treatment' option may be taken into account

Prevalence of intestinal metaplasia in the distal oesophagus, oesophagogastric junction and gastric cardia in symptomatic patients in north-east Italy: a prospective, descriptive survey. The Italian Ulcer Study Group "GISU"

56nonenoneZaninotto, G; Avellini, C; Barbazza, R; Baruchello, G; Battaglia, G; Benedetti, E; Bernardi, A; Boccù, C; Bonoldi, E; Bottona, E; Bozzola, L; Canizzaro, R; Canzonieri, V; Caroli, A; Carta, A; Colonna, A; Costa-Biedo, F; Dal Bò, N; De Bastiani, R; De Bernardin, M; De Bernardinis, F; De Pretis, G; Di Mario, F; Doglioni, C; Donisi, Pm; Franceschi, M; Furlanetto, A; Germanà, B; Grassi, Sa; Macor, V; Marcon, V; Marin, R; Meggiato, T; Melina, V; Menghi, A; Milan, R; Militello, C; Molena, D; Monica, F; Murer, B; Nisi, E; Olivieri, P; Orzes, N; Parenti, A; Paternello, E; Penelli, N; Pilotto, A; Piscioli, F; Pozzato, F; Ronzani, G; Rugge, M; Saggioro, A; Stracca-Pansa, V; Togni, R; Valiante, F; Vianello, F

SUCRALFATE, RANITIDINE AND NO TREATMENT IN GASTRIC-ULCER MANAGEMENT - A MULTICENTER, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, 24-MONTH FOLLOW-UP WITH A STUDY OF RISK-FACTORS OF RELAPSE

This multicenter, prospective, randomized, open, long-term study compares sucralfate (2 g daily) with ranitidine (150 mg daily) and no treatment in gastric ulcer (GU). We report the results of the second year of a scheduled 3-year follow-up, the outcome of the 1 st year has been reported earlier. The 24-month follow-up was completed by 142 patients who were continuously either treated with the drug randomly assigned at the beginning of the study or left untreated (i.e. 32 patients took 150 mg ranitidine at bedtime, 29 took 1 g sucralfate twice daily and 81 were left untreated, 23 of whom came from the ranitidine group, 19 from the sucralfate group and 39 from the untreated group). Seven patients dropped out and 26 subjects relapsed (5 under ranitidine, 4 under sucralfate and 17 untreated cases). Ranitidine versus previous ranitidine, sucralfate versus previous sucralfate and each one versus no treatment showed comparable relapse rates. An additional study, using Cox's models, showed that three variables have a significant correlation with relapse during the 1 st year of follow-up: therapy carried out (p = 0.0025), symptoms (p = 0.0047) and family history of ulcer (p = 0.0392). In conclusion, both ranitidine 150 mg and sucralfate 2 g proved effective in reducing GU relapse as compared with no treatment, an effect which does not seem to persist during the 2nd year of therapy, when the 'no treatment' option may be taken into account