Treatment of Helicobacter pylori gastritis improves dyspeptic symptoms in children.
BACKGROUND
In adults, the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection is only recommended for patients with active gastric or duodenal ulcers. It is not known whether similar guidelines can be applied to children because the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease in childhood is estimated to be much lower than in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment of H. pylori gastritis would improve symptoms of dyspepsia in children.


METHODS
Sixteen patients (5 boys, 11 girls) aged 14 +/- 1.2 years who had symptoms of dyspepsia were evaluated using upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsies to establish the diagnosis of H. pylori gastritis. They were treated for 2 weeks with clarithromycin, amoxicillin, and a proton pump inhibitor. Dyspepsia symptoms were evaluated by a questionnaire before and after treatment of the infection. The effect of H. pylori treatment on the total symptom score was analyzed with use of the Student t test. Values are presented as mean +/- SEM.


RESULTS
All patients had antral nodularity and chronic active gastritis with spiral-shaped organisms but no evidence of peptic ulcer disease. Mean total symptom score decreased significantly at 2 to 4 weeks after treatment (12.6 +/- 0.9 vs. 2.1 +/- 0.5 P < 0.001), and it remained low (2.9 +/- 0.7) at follow-up 9.7 +/- 1.4 months (range, 2-24 months later).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the treatment of H. pylori gastritis can improve dyspeptic symptoms in children.
Uc
Aliye
A
Betton Clinic, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. aliye-uc@uiowa.edu
Chong
Sonny K F
SK
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D002648:Child; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005756:Gastritis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D000658:Amoxicillin; D017291:Clarithromycin