Efficacy of omeprazole and amoxicillin with either clarithromycin or metronidazole on eradication of Helicobacter pylori in Chinese peptic ulcer patients.
OBJECTIVE
One-week triple therapy with proton pump inhibitors, clarithromycin and amoxicillin has recently been proposed as the first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection; however, data regarding the effects of this regimen in China are scarce. The aim of this prospective and randomized study was to compare the efficacy of clarithromycin and metronidazole when they were combined with omeprazole and amoxicillin on eradication of H. pylori and ulcer healing in Chinese peptic ulcer patients.


METHODS
A total of 103 subjects with H. pylori-positive peptic ulcer were randomly divided into two groups, and accepted triple therapy with omeprazole 20 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg and either clarithromycin 500 mg (OAC group, n = 58) or metronidazole 400 mg (OAM group, n = 45). All drugs were given twice daily for 7 d. Patients with active peptic ulcer were treated with omeprazole 20 mg daily for 2-4 wk after anti-H. pylori therapy. Six to eight weeks after omeprazole therapy, all patients underwent endoscopies and four biopsies (two from the antrum and two others from the corpus of stomach) were taken for rapid urease test and histological analysis (with modified Giemsa staining) to examine H. pylori. Successful eradication was defined as negative results from both examination methods.


RESULTS
One hundred patients completed the entire course of therapy and returned for follow-up. The eradication rate of H. pylori for the per-protocol analysis was 89.3% (50/56) in OAC group and 84.1% (37/44) in OAM group. Based on the intention-to-treat analysis, the eradication rate of H. pylori was 86.2% (50/58) in OAC group and 82.2% (37/45) in OAM group. There were no significant differences in eradication rates between the two groups on either analysis. The active ulcer-healing rate was 96.7% (29/30) in OAC group and 100% (21/21) in OAM group (per-protocol analysis, P>0.05). Six patients in OAC group (10.3%) and five in OAM group (11.1%) reported adverse events (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
One-week triple therapy with omeprazole and amoxicillin in combination with either clarithromycin or metronidazole is effective for the eradication of H. pylori. The therapeutic regimen comprising metronidazole with low cost, good compliance and mild adverse events may offer a good choice for the treatment of peptic ulcers associated with H. pylori infection in China.
Sun
Wei-Hao
WH
Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu Province, China.
Ou
Xi-Long
XL
Cao
Da-Zhong
DZ
Yu
Qian
Q
Yu
Ting
T
Hu
Jin-Ming
JM
Zhu
Feng
F
Sun
Yun-Liang
YL
Fu
Xi-Ling
XL
Su
Han
H
D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D044466:Asian People; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D008795:Metronidazole; D017291:Clarithromycin; D009853:Omeprazole