Study design (if review, criteria of inclusion for studies)
prospective, randomized double-blind study
Participants
38 children with cystic fibrosis (CF) Compared with age-matched healthy children
Interventions
The treatment consisted of cimetidine or placebo, 600 mg/msup 2 body surface/day, over a 4-mo period.
Outcome measures
Clinical state, weight, height, skinfold thickness, lung function tests, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) peptide test, and plasma lipid and lipoprotein determinations were performed before and after the treatment period.
Main results
patients showed decreased cholesterol (150.2 + or - 31.2 mg/dl, mean + or - SD), decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (44.1 + or - 11.8 mg/dl), and decreased low density lipoprotein cholesterol (84.1 + or - 25.5 mg/dl) whereas the triglycerides and the very low density lipoprotein triglycerides were slightly elevated (18.2 + or - 33.0 mg/dl and 60.5 + or - 17.5 mg/dl, respectively). Apoprotein B and A1 were slightly reduced and Apoprotein AII was in the normal range. After the 4-mo treatment no significant change in clinical condition, weight, or lipoprotein patterns could be detected between the two groups. The total PABA recovery in urine also did not change significantly (36.6 + or - 19.4% of the dosage given before versus 28.7 + or - 12.9% after 4 mo in the cimetidine group). Cimetidine gave rise to bronchoconstriction as shown by an increase in airway resistance (mean increase 14.8%) whereas the placebo group had a decreased Raw with a mean of 8.3%. Patients with CF have a dyslipoproteinemia that was not influenced by cimetidine.
Authors' conclusions
imetidine does not improve fat absorption and has, therefore, no place and no benefit in the treatment of children with CF.