Peptic ulcer, cimetidine, andmotorneurone disease arecord linkage study

previouscohort study suggested thatthere might bean association between useofcimeti- dineandmotorneurone disease. TheOxford Record Linkage Study was usedtoexplore this hypothesis. Intheanalysis thepresence ofa peptic ulcer inpatients after 1976 was taken as a proxy forcimetidine (andranitidine) use. Thepasthistory of540patients withmotor neurone disease inthis period was compared withthat of1370patients withmultiple sclero- sis(neurological controls) andover 240000 control patients with avariety ofother condi- tions. Amongthosewithmotor neurone disease, five hadbeenpreviously admitted to hospital withpeptic ulcer incomparison with an expected numberof7-4(morbidity ratio 0-68, 95%confidence interval: 0-2to1.6). The corresponding figures forthose withmultiple sclerosis were 12 and 9*7respectively (morbidity ratio 1-24, 95%confidence inter- val:0-6to2.2). Thisstudyprovides some evidence against thepossibility that cimetidine (andranitidine) arerelated tomotorneurone disease. (Gut 1993; 34:1660-1661)