Helicobacter pylori and functional dyspepsia. What to do after the Maastricht II consensus meeting?
BACKGROUND
Despite many clinical studies, there is still much discussion on the relation between Helicobacter pylori and functional dyspepsia.


METHODS
Critical review of recommendations for H. pylori eradication in dyspepsia.


RESULTS
The debate can be separated into three major problems. First, how to identify the dyspeptic patient suffering from H. pylori infection. Second, is H. pylori infection causative for complaints in this patient? Third, what is the clinical course of functional dyspepsia after successful H. pylori eradication? In the recent Maastricht II consensus, it is strongly recommended that H. pylori-positive patients with functional dyspepsia should be treated with anti-H. pylori therapy. In this review, the pros and cons of H. pylori eradication in patients with functional dyspepsia are discussed. The reader can decide what is the best management of an individual patient.


CONCLUSIONS
This review gives the relevant background information allowing clinicians to decide what the best management is in individual H. pylori-positive patients with dyspepsia.
Loffeld
R J L F
RJ
Dept. of Internal Medicine, De Heel Zaans Medisch Centrum, Zaandam, The Netherlands. loffeld.r@deheel.nl
van der Hulst
R W M
RW
D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic