title: Treatment for Eradication of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Chronic Hepatitis C Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Helicobacter pylori infection causes gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric malignancies, and its eradication has been advocated by many groups. We determined the H. pylori carrier status and eradication rates of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 76 chronically HCV-infected patients were enrolled for comparison with 228 HCV-noninfected, age- and sex-matched controls. H. pylori infection was confirmed by H. pylori antibody and urea breath testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The H. pylori infection rate was significantly higher for HCV-infected patients (67 of 76, 88.2%) than for HCV-noninfected controls (158 of 228, 69.3%). Endoscopic findings showed that the rates of gastric ulcers and gastritis were significantly higher for the 67 HCV-infected patients with H. pylori infection (34.3% and 77.6%) than for the 158 HCV-noninfected controls with H. pylori infection (15.2% and 57.6%). Treatment to eradicate H. pylori had a significantly higher success rate for HCV-infected patients (61 of 67, 91.0%) than for HCV-noninfected controls (115 of 158, 72.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The markedly high H. pylori eradication rate observed in this study shows that eradication of H. pylori holds promise for the improvement of the long-term health condition of patients with chronic HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furusyo
authors.forename: Ahmed H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Walaa
authors.forename: Kunimitsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eiraku
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikezaki
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Mosaburo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kainuma
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayashi