TUESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with four drugs successfully eradicates Helicobacter pylori infection whether given sequentially or concomitantly, according to a study in the January issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Deng-Chyang Wu, M.D., from Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues randomly assigned 232 patients infected with H. pylori to sequential or concomitant treatment with four drugs (a proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and an imidazole agent).
The researchers found that eradication of the infection was similar for sequential and concomitant treatment (92.3 versus 93.0 percent). Compliance and resistance to clarithromycin were independently associated with eradication. Dual resistance to antibiotics only affected the level of eradication for sequential treatment.
"Sequential or concomitant therapy with a proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and an imidazole agent are equally effective and safe for eradication of H. pylori infection," Wu and colleagues conclude. "Concomitant therapy may be more suitable for patients with dual resistance to antibiotics."
An author of the study reported a financial relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.
Abstract
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