metiamide and Hepatic-Encephalopathy

In two controlled trials, involving 75 patients, on the prevention of bleeding from gastric erosions in fulminant hepatic failure, antacids given four-hourly had no significant effect. Only 35% of intragastric pH recordings taken at two-hourly intervals in the treated group were maintained above 5 with the doses used, whereas this could be consistently achieved with the histamine H2-receptor antagonists, metiamide and cimetidine. In the group receiving these drugs only 1 patient out of 26 bled, compared with 13 (54%) of the controls, a highly significant difference. Blood-transfusion requirements were significantly less in those treated with H2-receptor antagonists.

Topics: Antacids; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Evaluation; Esophageal and Gastric Varices; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage; Guanidines; Hepatic Encephalopathy; Histamine H2 Antagonists; Humans; Imidazoles; Metiamide; Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage; Stomach Ulcer