RANITIDINA E NIZATIDINA NELL'ULCERA PEPTICA DELL'ANZIANO: STUDIO MULTICENTRICO, IN DOPPIO CIECO, A BREVE TERMINE

With the aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment with ranitidine and nizatidine both at the dosages of 300 mg/die in elderly peptic ulcer patients, a randomized, double-blind, multicentre, short-term study was performed in 245 patients aged over 65 years, 75 with gastric ulcer (GU) and 170 with duodenal ulcer (DU) endoscopically documented in active phase by 49. G.I. endoscopy centres. Clinical control was performed after 3 weeks of treatment, while the endoscopic and biochemical controls were scheduled after 6 and, in unhealed patients, 12 weeks. 38/75 GU and 83/170 DU patients were treated with nizatidine 300 mg/die and the remainder with ranitidine 300 mg/die. The groups of subjects proved well-matched as regards common clinical data. Healing rates after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment were 81.9% and 91.5% for nizatidine-treated DU patients versus 78.1% and 94.2% for ranitidine-treated DU (p: ns); the healing rates for GU subjects were 76.3% and 89.5% for nizatidine-treated GU versus 67.6% and 83.8% for ranitidine-treated GU patients (p: ns). Adverse events were very rare and only 1 patient withdrew from the study. In conclusion: ranitidine 300 mg/die and nizatidine 300 mg/die resulted both efficacious and safe in the treatment of acute peptic ulcer in the elderly.