Helicobacter pylori eradication with short-term therapy leads to duodenal ulcer healing without the need for continued acid suppression therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether duodenal ulcers continue to heal following successful Helicobacter pylori eradication with short-term eradication therapy without further acid suppression therapy.


METHODS
Patients with endoscopically proven duodenal ulcers who were H. pylori positive were randomized to receive omeprazole 40 mg each morning and clarithromycin 500 mg three times daily or famotidine 40 mg twice daily and clarithromycin 500 mg three times daily for 2 weeks. No acid-suppressing agents nor ulcerhealing drugs such as bismuth compounds or sucralfate were prescribed after that. Patients were re-examined endoscopically at week 2 at the end of treatment, and at week 6, 4 weeks after the completion of treatment.


RESULTS
Thirty of 44 (68.2%) patients from both treatment arms, in whom the bacteria were subsequently noted to have been eradicated, had healed ulcers at week 2; at Week 6, 42 of 44 (95.5%) were noted to have healed ulcers without further acid-suppressing or ulcer-healing treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Although a short-term acid-suppressing treatment is insufficient to heal ulcers, where an important putative factor such as H. pylori is eliminated, the ulcer healing process continues without further need for acid-suppressing or ulcer-healing agents.
Goh
K L
KL
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Navaratnam
P
P
Peh
S C
SC
Wong
N W
NW
Chuah
S Y
SY
Rahman
N A
NA
Lo
Y L
YL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D015738:Famotidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D015738:Famotidine; D017291:Clarithromycin; D009853:Omeprazole