ABSTRACT
The etiology of some diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of adults is known to some extent. Unlike disease states associated with other organ systems, drug therapy has been effectively designed in gastroenterology. As a natural progression from adult to infant, effective drug therapy now exists for pediatric GI disorders. An oral preparation of cimetidine was administered by Chhattriwalla et al. to infants with either reflux esophagitis or gastric and duodenal ulcers. At present, the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of cimetidine following oral administration to children remain to be established. The chapter shows that certain drugs have applications in diseases associated with other tissues and describes only the effect on intestinal function. The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic usefulness of domperidone in gastroesophageal reflux are believed to be related to the role of dopamine at peripheral GI receptors. The receptors blocked by cimetidine were classified as H2 receptors and hence this drug is categorized as a histamine H2 receptor antagonist.
