Cimetidine treatment of protein-losing gastropathy (Ménétrier's disease). A clinical and pathophysiological study.

In a 47-year-old male with Ménétrier's disease (protein-losing gastropathy) the histamine-H2-receptor antagonist Cimetidine stops the protein loss and improves the clinical condition. Gastric perfusion studies on net and bidirectional ionic fluxes, protein secretion rates, and permeability, with simultaneous recording of the transmural electrical potential difference indicate that Cimetidine decreases a paracellular protein secretion by 'tightening' the tight junctions of the gastric epithelium.