title: First-line eradication of Helicobacter pylori: are the standard triple therapies obsolete? A different perspective.
abstract: Studies concerning the eradication of Helicobacter pylori have resulted in a proliferation of meta-analyses. To date, there are 303 meta-analyses cited in PubMed, 113 dealing with the therapy of the infection. A chronological analysis of the results of meta-analyses performed between 1998 and 2010 shows that first-line standard triple therapies achieved eradication rates on an intention-to-treat basis of around 80%; prolonging treatment to 14, but not 10 d should improve the results. The proton pump inhibitors have a similar efficiency, and giving a double dose is more efficient than the standard doses of these drugs. Triple and quadruple therapies proved to be equivalent. Based on meta-analytical data, the decrease in efficiency over time cannot be substantiated: eradication rates < 80% followed from the introduction of triple therapies. As alternatives, ranitidine bismuth citrate-, levofloxacin- or furazolidone-based therapies were shown to obtain the same eradication rates as standard triple regimens. Sequential therapies and quadruple non-bismuth-based therapies were superior to standard triple therapies but their use is limited to certain countries. In the author's opinion, and from a meta-analytical viewpoint, standard triple therapies cannot yet be considered obsolete. Furthermore, non-inferiority trials are proposed for the future, including assessment of local contemporary antimicrobial resistance profiles and the CagA and CYP2C19 status of the enrolled patients.
authors: György-Miklós
authors: GM
authors: Buzás
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors