BACKGROUND: Treatment with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and antimicrobials cures Helicobacter pylori infection in about 90% of patients. This is a retrospective overview of our studies aiming to cure the infection in all compliant patients with failed initial therapy. METHODS: We retreated 120 (19% of 644) H. pylori-infected patients whose initial therapy had failed. The retreatments included (i) triple therapy (TT): colloidal bismuth subcitrate, metronidazole, amoxicillin (or tetracycline); (ii) quadruple therapy (QT): TT and a PPI; or (iii) high doses of both a PPI and clarithromycin combined with a further 1-3 individually selected antimicrobials. The eradication results were determined after 6-12 months. RESULTS: The 1st retreatment was successful in 70 of 120 patients. The 2nd retreatment cured 25 of the remaining 42 patients, the 3rd 13 of 17, and the 4th the last 4 patients. The cumulative eradication rate (ITT) was 93% (95% CI: 88.9%-97.9%; 8 patients withdrew after a failed 1st retreatment) and the rate was 100% in the remaining 112 patients who accepted several retreatments. The 1st retreatment with TT cured 23% (95% CI: 12%-34%) of 57 patients and QT 85% (95% CI: 74%-96%) of 41 patients who had initially undergone a failed metronidazole-based treatment. All retreatments were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, high doses of a PPI and clarithromycin combined with 1-3 antimicrobials according to susceptibility data proved to be the best drug combination in the cure of H. pylori infection after failed primary treatment. Giving imidazole- and bismuth-based QT (without clarithromycin) as the first-line treatment of H. pylori infection ensures that the number of failures remains low.
BACKGROUND: Treatment with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and antimicrobials cures Helicobacter pylori infection in about 90% of patients. This is a retrospective overview of our studies aiming to cure the infection in all compliant patients with failed initial therapy. METHODS: We retreated 120 (19% of 644) H. pylori-infected patients whose initial therapy had failed. The retreatments included (i) triple therapy (TT): colloidal bismuth subcitrate, metronidazole, amoxicillin (or tetracycline); (ii) quadruple therapy (QT): TT and a PPI; or (iii) high doses of both a PPI and clarithromycin combined with a further 1-3 individually selected antimicrobials. The eradication results were determined after 6-12 months. RESULTS: The 1st retreatment was successful in 70 of 120 patients. The 2nd retreatment cured 25 of the remaining 42 patients, the 3rd 13 of 17, and the 4th the last 4 patients. The cumulative eradication rate (ITT) was 93% (95% CI: 88.9%-97.9%; 8 patients withdrew after a failed 1st retreatment) and the rate was 100% in the remaining 112 patients who accepted several retreatments. The 1st retreatment with TT cured 23% (95% CI: 12%-34%) of 57 patients and QT 85% (95% CI: 74%-96%) of 41 patients who had initially undergone a failed metronidazole-based treatment. All retreatments were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, high doses of a PPI and clarithromycin combined with 1-3 antimicrobials according to susceptibility data proved to be the best drug combination in the cure of H. pyloriinfection after failed primary treatment. Giving imidazole- and bismuth-based QT (without clarithromycin) as the first-line treatment of H. pyloriinfection ensures that the number of failures remains low.
Authors: Caroline Maria den Hoed; A C de Vries; P B F Mensink; C M Dierikx; H Suzuki; L Capelle; H van Dekken; R Ouwendijk; E J Kuipers Journal: Can J Gastroenterol Date: 2011-04 Impact factor: 3.522