Haemodynamic effects of H2-receptor antagonists.

Abstract

H2-receptor antagonists are among the most frequently prescribed and thoroughly documented class of drugs in use today. Their ability to inhibit the secretion of gastric acid in hypersecretory states makes them effective in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease, the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and other conditions such as the prevention of stress ulcers in severely ill or burned patients [I]. The safety and tolerability of the older H2 blockers has been confirmed by large postmarketing surveillance studies [2121. When considering the most important studies, the incidence of cardiovascular adverse reactions has been shown to vary between I .8 cases per 100 000 patients and 6 cases per 791 1 patients, during treatment with different H2 blockers [4,5]. It is well known that histamine exerts effects on the cardiovascular system in man [ 13-2 I] which are mediated by H I as well as by H2 receptors. As new and more powerful H2 blockers are being developed and marketed, this review attempts to summarize the information known concerning the haemodynamic effects of Hz-receptor antagonists. The considerable number of reports ofcardiovascular drug reactions has necessitated the selection of only the most relevant ones.