[In-patient treatment of peptic ulcer with cimetidine. I. Effect on duodenal ulcer healing (author's transl)].

The effect of 300 mg cimetidine q.i.d. on ulcer healing was studied in a controlled double-blind clinical trial of 71 in-patients with duodenal ulcer. Healing occurred in 48.5% of patients in the cimetidine group after two weeks, and in 20.6% in the placebo group (P less than 0.05). The healing rate was 88% in the cimetidine group at four weeks, 79.4% in the placebo group. Only during the first day was ulcer pain significantly reduced in the cimetidine-treated patients. Neither basal nor pentagastrin-stimulated acid and pepsin secretions were affected by 17-day administration of cimetidine. The drug had to be withdrawn in two patients because of elevated serum-creatinine levels. There was no other untoward effect.