The relationship between suppression of acidity and gastric ulcer healing rates.

We have investigated the relationship between the suppression of acidity by antisecretory drugs for the treatment of benign gastric ulcer and their corresponding ulcer-healing rates. For a variety of antisecretory drug regimens, there was a significant correlation between suppression of 24-h intragastric acidity and ulcer healing rates after 2, 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. There was a lesser degree of correlation between healing and suppression of nocturnal acidity and the association between suppression of acidity and gastric-ulcer healing rates was less marked than that previously described for duodenal ulcer.