Relapse rate of duodenal ulcer after cessation of long-term cimetidine treatment: a double-blind controlled study.

Patients with a healed duodenal ulcer and who were symptom-free following 12 months of maintenance treatment with cimetidine 400 mg twice daily were randomized double-blind to a further 6 months therapy with either cimetidine 400 mg twice daily or placebo 2 tablets twice daily. Twenty-six patients received placebo and 15 patients cimetidine. Relapse was defined as symptoms for 3 out of 7 consecutive days and ulcer recurrence was confirmed by independent endoscopy. One of 15 patients on cimetidine relapsed: 20 of 26 patients on placebo relapsed. This relapse rate (77%) is similar to that found in previous studies after only 6 weeks cimetidine therapy (71%). This study suggests that 12 months cimetidine does not change the tendency of duodenal ulcer to recur and that the relapse rate is no greater than after 6 weeks cimetidine.