[High eradication rates in Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with duodenal ulcer who failed previous eradication therapy].

BACKGROUND

To analyze the effectiveness of a second-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with duodenal ulcer based on previous antibiotic regimen.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Open, prospective, uncontrolled study, but guided by protocol including 30 consecutive patients with endoscopic diagnosis of active duodenal ulcer and failure of a first-line H. pylori eradication treatment diagnosed by urea breath test or a new endoscopy with histology and positive urease test. Treatment consisted in 10 days with omeprazole (20 mg/12 h), bismuth subcitrate (120 mg/6 h), tetracycline (500 mg/6 h) and metronidazole (500 mg/8 h) (OBTM) if previous regimen was with clarithromycin; or 10 days with omeprazole (20 mg/12 h), clarithromycin (500 mg/12 h) and amoxycillin (1g/12 h) (OCA) if previous regimen did not include clarithromycin; using metronidazole (500 mg/8 h) instead of amoxycillin (OCM) in case of allergy. Eradication was defined as a negative 13C-urea breath test 2 months after the end of therapy.

RESULTS

One patient had to stop treatment due to the side effects and in 2 patients urea breath test was not performed (3 patients due to the OBTM group). Per protocol eradication was achieved in 25 out of 27 patients (92.6%) and by intention-to-treat eradication was attained in 25 out of 30 cases (83.3%). When both groups analyzed separately, the OCA combination was successful in 5 from 6 patients (83.3%; 95% CI 35.9-99.6); while the OBTM combination was successful in 20 from 21 valuable patients (95. 2%; 95% CI 76.2-99.9). In this second case we make an intention to treat analysis and eradication was achieved in 20 from 24 (83.3%; 95% CI 62.6-95.3).

CONCLUSION

The eradicative treatment for H. pylori based in different antibiotics used in subsequent attempts get high eradication rates in patients with duodenal ulcer.