Susceptibility-guided vs. empiric retreatment of Helicobacter pylori infection after treatment failure.

Abstract

Successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori after failure of standard triple therapy is difficult because of the higher resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin. We evaluated the efficacy of susceptibility-guided vs. empiric retreatment for H. pylori after at least one treatment failure and determined the prevalence of posttreatment antibiotic resistance. Forty-nine patients in whom at least one treatment regimen for H. pylori eradication had failed underwent gastric biopsy and culture and were retreated according to the in vitro susceptibility results. Findings were compared with those for 49 control patients referred to our center for a (13)C-urea breath test. H. pylori eradication was assessed by urea breath test at least 6 weeks after retreatment in both groups. Susceptibility-guided retreatment was associated with better eradication rates than empiric treatment. The difference remained significant in stratified and multivariate analysis. Susceptibility-guided retreatment appears to be significantly more effective than empiric retreatment in eradicating H. pylori after at least one previous treatment failure.

• Authors: Jacob Yahav, Zmira Samra, Yaron Niv, Charlesnika T Evans, Douglas J Passaro, Gabriel Dinari, Haim Shmuely
• Journal: Digestive diseases and sciences (Dig Dis Sci) Vol. 51 Issue 12 Pg. 2316-21 (Dec 2006) ISSN: 0163-2116 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17078005 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Metronidazole
• Clarithromycin

Topics

• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Biopsy
• Cells, Cultured
• Clarithromycin (therapeutic use)
• Cohort Studies
• Disease Susceptibility (microbiology, pathology)
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial
• Female
• Helicobacter Infections (drug therapy, pathology)
• Helicobacter pylori (pathogenicity)
• Humans
• Male
• Metronidazole (therapeutic use)
• Middle Aged
• Prevalence
• Stomach (drug effects, microbiology, pathology)
• Treatment Failure