Drugs for treatment of peptic ulcers.

Pharmacologic management of peptic ulcer disease continues to evolve with the introduction of diverse types of new therapeutic agents. The ideal aims of treatment of peptic ulcer disease are to relieve pain, heal the ulcer, and delay ulcer recurrence. This article provides a broad perspective on the pharmacology and therapeutic actions of antiulcer drugs. To date, no drug meets all goals of therapy. Drug treatment of peptic ulcers is targeted at either counteracting aggressive factors or stimulating the mucosal defense. Drugs that inhibit or neutralize gastric acid secretion include histamine H2-receptor antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, anticholinergics, prostaglandins, and antacids. H2-receptor antagonists have become first-line drugs for treatment of uncomplicated duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, prevention of ulcer relapse, and mild esophagitis. However, H2-receptor antagonists, like other gastric antisecretory/antiulcer drugs, have high rates of ulcer recurrence following discontinuation of therapy. They therefore need to be administered continuously in patients prone to such recurrences. Omeprazole has emerged as a major drug for the treatment of severe erosive esophagitis, refractory ulcers, and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The major disadvantage of proton pump inhibitors is the concern for their long-term safety. The roles of M1-antimuscarinic agents and antacids have not been fully defined. Misoprostol, effective for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, is now the only drug that prevents ulcers induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Mucosal protective drugs that do not inhibit gastric acid secretion include sucralfate and organic bismuth salts. Sucralfate is a nonsystemic, well-tolerated, effective drug for treatment of duodenal ulcers and prevention of duodenal ulcer relapse. The organic bismuth salt bismuth subcitrate is efficacious in the treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers. Furthermore, it has also been established that it alters the course of ulcer recurrence. However, bismuth encephalopathy is a major toxicity concern that needs to be addressed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)