Initial Therapy and Relapse of Duodenal Ulcer: Possible Acid Secretory Mechanisms

Review of the four studies investigating the effect of initial therapy on ulcer relapse indicates that there is an increased rate of relapse after treatment with H2-receptor antagonists compared with placebo or other classes of drugs when combined. When individual drugs are considered, this appears to hold true for colloidal bismuth alone. There are several possible reasons for these differences. The most likely candidate mechanism to account …