Pirenzepine in erosive duodenitis. A controlled clinical trial versus ranitidine.

Fifty-five outpatients with chronic duodenal erosions and no previous ulcer history were treated, in a double-blind fashion, with either pirenzepine (50 mg twice daily) or ranitidine (150 mg twice daily) for 6 weeks. The drugs were equally effective in inducing symptomatic relief. At endoscopic control, 70.4% of subjects in the pirenzepine group and 39.3% of ranitidine-treated patients showed complete healing (p less than 0.05). The results suggest that acid secretion is not an important factor in the pathogenesis of erosive duodenitis and that other mechanisms (such as impaired mucosal blood flow) must be considered.