[The role of mucoprotective drugs in gastric ulcer treatment: with specifical reference to their effects on gastritis mucosa].

A study group supported by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recently reported the Japanese guideline for gastric ulcer treatment which suggests that gastric ulcer can be cured by either H. pylori eradication or acid suppression therapy by proton pump inhibitors(PPI) and H2-receptor antagonists(H2RA). It also suggests that all mucoprotective drugs except sucrafate, misoprostol and enprostil can't be recommended for gastric ulcer treatment. However, some mucoprotective drugs have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory action, leading to the inhibition of leucocyte infiltration in H. pylori gastritis, while long-term usage of PPI and H2RA might worsen gastritis. Thus, mucoprotective drugs should be investigated in terms of long-term effects on H. pylori-gastritis rather than the effects on gastric ulceration.