|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Merritt McKinney
NEW YORK, Mar 06 (Reuters Health) - Treating people for H. pylori, the bacterium behind stomach ulcers, won't help all of those with indigestion, researchers reported Monday. But another study also published this week shows that treating the infection does improve some precancerous stomach abnormalities.
Ulcers linked to infections with H. pylori, or Helicobacter pylori, can cause pain and discomfort in the upper abdomen, but for many of the millions who suffer chronic indigestion, also called dyspepsia, ulcers are not involved.
Whether H. pylori can cause dyspepsia even in the absence of an ulcer has been controversial.
Now, a review of several studies suggests that treating H. pylori infection does little for people with dyspepsia without ulcers, according to a report in the March 6th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Loren Laine, of the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, and colleagues analyzed the results of 10 studies that evaluated the effects of using antibiotics plus acid-reducing medication to eradicate H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia but no ulcers.
Overall, patients taking effective H. pylori treatment did not experience a greater improvement in their symptoms than those not taking combination therapy.
A few studies included in the review provided information on whether H. pylori infection was cured after treatment, but people whose infections cleared were no more likely to have improved dyspepsia symptoms.
"Our results provide little support for the use of H. pylori eradication therapy in the treatment of patients with nonulcer dyspepsia," Laine's team concludes.
Eradicating H. pylori may not help relieve dyspepsia, but it appears to improve stomach abnormalities that may eventually become cancerous, according to another study in the same journal.
Long-term infection with H. pylori can cause changes to the stomach that could develop into cancer, such as a thinning of the lining of the stomach, called glandular atrophy, or the growth of abnormal cells, called intestinal metaplasia. Whether getting rid of H. pylori can treat these conditions has been uncertain.
In a study of 163 patients with H. pylori infection, researchers from Japan found that eradicating the bacterium reduced both precancerous conditions.
Overall, H. pylori was eliminated in 115 patients. Among those whose H. pylori infection was eradicated, glandular atrophy improved in 89% of patients who had the condition, report Dr. Toshifumi Ohkusa, of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and colleagues. Intestinal metaplasia improved in 61% of patients who had the condition.
However, neither condition improved significantly in patients who still had H. pylori infection after being treated.
Eradicating H. pylori "is useful for the treatment of precancerous changes and the prevention of the occurrence of gastric cancer," Ohkusa told Reuters Health. The "cost of eradication therapy for H. pylori infection is much lower than that of (curative) therapy for gastric cancer," he added.
SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine 2001;134:361-369, 380-386.
| Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources |
|
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
Copyright and Privacy Policy, We welcome your comments. Last updated: 07 March 2001 |