A multicentre study on eradication of Helicobacter pylori using four 1-week triple therapies in China.

BACKGROUND

Short-term proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapies for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori are used widely. The eradication rates vary greatly from country to country and from region to region.

AIM: To assess the efficacy at eradicating H. pylori of 1-week regimens containing three medications: omeprazole (O) or colloidal bismuth subcitrate (B), furazolidone (F) or metronidazole (M), and amoxicillin (A) or clarithromycin (C).

METHODS

A multicentre study involving 20 hospitals in different regions of China. A total of 892 patients with H. pylori-positive non-ulcer dyspepsia or healed duodenal ulcer confirmed by endoscopy were recruited to receive, randomly, one of four regimens: OMC, OFC, OFA, and BFC, b.d. for 7 days. 13C-urea breath test was performed 4-8 weeks after completion of treatment.

RESULTS

The eradication rates with per protocol/intention-to-treat analyses were: OMC (n=217/219) 66%/65%; OFC (n=227/229) 69%/69%; OFA (n=223/225) 87%/86%; and BFC (n=214/219) 80%/78%. The eradication rate (per protocol analysis) in duodenal ulcer (79%) was higher than that in non-ulcer dyspepsia (73%, P=0.033). Patient compliance was good. The adverse events of the four regimens were mild, and mainly gastrointestinal.

CONCLUSIONS

The omeprazole, furazolidine and amoxicillin regimen achieves a high H. pylori eradication rate in different geographical regions of China.