Current medical management of peptic ulcer disease.
Peptic ulceration occurs when the digestive action of gastric secretions overcomes gastroduodenal mucosal defences. The therapeutic strategy used to correct this imbalance uses drugs that either reduce gastric secretion or increase mucosal resistance. Traditional therapies of dietary manipulation and antacid administration no longer play major roles in peptic ulcer therapy. Uncomplicated peptic ulcers respond quite well to drug treatment, although recurrences are common and may require long-term maintenance therapy. Drug-induced gastric ulcers have represented a challenging problem, for which effective therapy is now available.