Effect of cimetidine on healing and surgical treatment of gastric ulcers.

In this retrospective study, a cohort of gastric ulcer patients treated with antacids was compared with a well-matched group of patients treated with a combination of antacids and cimetidine. Cimetidine combined with antacids enhanced gastric ulcer healing, thereby significantly reducing the number of gastric ulcer operations. Cimetidine appears to act by providing a less acidic environment in which gastric ulcers can heal. The exact mechanism of cimetidine's action on gastric ulcers is not clear. Nonprophylactic administration of cimetidine apparently has no effect on the recurrence rate of gastric ulcers.