From bench to bedside to bug: an update of clinically relevant advances in the care of persons with Helicobacter pylori- associated diseases.

In-depth meetings of the XIth International Workshop on Gastroduodenal Pathology and Helicobacter pylori led to the presentation and discussion of extensive new data on H. pylori and its diseases. The mode of transmission of H. pylori remains unclear, and it remains unknown why only a small proportion of infected individuals develop duodenal or gastric ulcer disease and even fewer develop gastric cancer. The role of H. pylori eradication in persons with uninvestigated dyspepsia remains controversial. New clinical trials of H. pylori treatment show symptom relief and improvement in the quality of life of persons with functional dyspepsia, especially in those with ulcer-like or reflux-like dyspepsia. Clearly the move is toward symptom-based management of persons with dyspepsia, with fewer endoscopies being needed in the otherwise healthy young dyspeptic patients. It remains controversial whether eradicating H. pylori in duodenal ulcer or functional dyspepsia increases the risk of subsequent development of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The one-week proton pump inhibitor-based triple regimens remain the gold standard of H. pylori therapy, but some of the ranitidine bismuth citrate plus two antibiotic regimens also achieve an 80% H. pylori eradication rate on an intention-to-treat basis. While the urea breath test remains the noninvasive test of choice, interesting new data are available on the use of stool antigen testing to diagnose H. pylori infection. The number of H pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases grows to include possible liver, vascular, immune and skin conditions.