Study Comparing Sequential and Concomitant Therapy for Helicobacter Pylori Eradication in Routine Clinical Practice

Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric tumors (adenocarcinoma and lymphoma). The cure of the H. pylori infection prevents recurrence of duodenal and gastric ulcer and improves dyspepsia in a significant proportion of cases, so it is cost-effective. Eradication therapy has changed over time. The usually recommended pattern in the consensus conferences has traditionally been triple therapy, composed by the combination of 2 antibiotics (clarithromycin plus amoxicillin or metronidazole) and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for 7-14 days. Recent meta-analyses have that the current global eradication rate after standard triple therapy is less than 80%. Several European studies have found even lower eradication rates, with 35-40% of cases resulting in treatment failure. Treatment failure leads to a second treatment and a new diagnostic test to confirm eradication.