Helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcer disease.

Medical therapy for duodenal or gastric ulcer disease has traditionally involved gastric acid antisecretory therapy for 4 to 8 weeks to promote initial healing and indefinitely to prevent recurrences of ulcer. The discovery of Helicobacter pylori in most patients with peptic ulcer disease has led to a change in this approach. Therapy designed to eradicate H pylori may facilitate ulcer healing with acid antisecretory agents and, more important, may greatly reduce the incidence of ulcer recurrence, obviating the need for maintenance antisecretory therapy. Regimens designed to eradicate H pylori are difficult to comply with, however, and are associated with adverse effects in some patients. In this article we review the diagnosis and treatment of H pylori infection in patients with peptic ulcer disease and make recommendations regarding the use of conventional ulcer therapies and therapies designed to eradicate H pylori.     

Systematic review and meta-analysis: Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy after simple closure of perforated duodenal ulcer

Background: The most common complications of peptic ulcer are bleeding and perforation. In many regions, definitive acid reduction surgery has given way to simple closure and Helicobacter pylori eradication. Aim: To perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis to ask whether this change in practice is in fact justified. Materials and Methods: A search on the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Medline, and Embase was made for controlled trials of duodenal ulcer perforation patients using simple closure method plus postoperative H. pylori eradication therapy versus simple closure plus antisecretory non‐eradication therapy. The long‐term results for prevention of ulcer recurrence were compared. Results: The pooled incidence of 1‐year ulcer recurrence in H. pylori eradication group was 5.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.7 and 9.7], which is significantly lower than that of the control group (35.2%) with 95% CI of 0.25 and 0.45. The pooled relative risk was 0.15 with 95% CI of 0.06 and 0.37. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori eradication after simple closure of duodenal ulcer perforation gives better result than the operation plus antisecretory non‐eradication therapy for prevention of ulcer recurrence. All duodenal ulcer perforation patients should be tested for H. pylori infection, and eradication therapy is required in all infected patients.     

四联疗法和序贯疗法治疗服用非甾体类消炎药人群幽门螺杆菌感染的临 床对照研究

目的:对比四联疗法和序贯疗法对根除服用非甾体类消炎药(NSAID)人群幽门螺杆菌(Hp),改善其消化道不良症状及促进消化性溃疡愈合的临床效果。方法:对有消化不良症状的服用非甾体类消炎药物患者行胃镜检查、快速尿激酶及13C呼气试验检查,将155例幽门螺杆菌阳性合并有慢性胃炎或消化性溃疡患者作为研究对象,随机分为两组,A组采用四联疗法,B组采用序贯疗法。A组予雷贝拉唑+克拉霉素+阿莫西林+枸橼酸铋钾治疗10天;B组前5天予雷贝拉唑+阿莫西林,后5天予雷贝拉唑+克拉霉素+甲硝唑。治疗结束后,予雷贝拉唑和胃黏膜保护剂治疗8周。停药4周后,复查胃镜、13C呼气试验,观察和比较两组Hp根除率、消化不良症状缓解率及溃疡愈合率。结果:A、B两组Hp根除率分别为(ITT分析:86.7%和81.9%;PP分析:87.8%和84.3%);症状缓解率为(81.9%对79.2%);胃溃疡愈合率为(68.8%对66.7%),十二指肠球部溃疡的愈合率为(68.2%对70.0%),两组患者间Hp根除率、症状缓解率及溃疡愈合率比较均未见明显统计学差异(P>0.05)。四联疗法组和序贯疗法组不良反应的发生率分别为4.9%和4.3%。两组比较无明显差异(P>0.05)。结论:四联疗法和序贯疗法对长期服用非甾体类消炎药物人群的Hp根除疗效、消化不良症状的缓解及促进溃疡愈合的治疗作用均无明显差异。     

Indications for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic overview.

OBJECTIVE: To determine (a) the advantages and disadvantages of treatment options for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori and (b) whether eradication of H. pylori is indicated in patients with duodenal ulcer, nonucler dyspepsia and gastric cancer. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search for articles published in English between January 1983 and December 1992 with the use of MeSH terms Helicobacter pylori (called Campylobacter pylori before 1990) and duodenal ulcer, gastric cancer, dyspepsia and clinical trial. Six journals and Current Contents were searched manually for pertinent articles published in that time frame. STUDY SELECTION: For duodenal ulcer the search was limited to studies involving adults, studies of H. pylori eradication and randomized clinical trials comparing anti-H. pylori therapy with conventional ulcer treatment. For nonulcer dyspepsia with H. pylori infection the search was limited to placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. DATA EXTRACTION: The quality of each study was rated independently on a four-point scale by each author. For the studies of duodenal ulcer the outcome measures assessed were acute ulcer healing and time required for healing, H. pylori eradication and ulcer relapse. For the studies of nonulcer dyspepsia with H. pylori infection the authors assessed H. pylori eradication, the symptoms used as outcome measures and whether validated outcome measures had been used. DATA SYNTHESIS: Eight trials involving duodenal ulcer met our inclusion criteria: five were considered high quality, two were of reasonable quality, and one was weak. Six trials involving nonulcer dyspepsia met the criteria, but all were rated as weak. Among treatment options triple therapy with a bismuth compound, metronidazole and either amoxicillin or tetracycline achieved the highest eradication rates (73% to 94%). Results concerning treatment indications for duodenal ulcer were consistent among all of the studies: when anti-H. pylori therapy was added to conventional ulcer treatment acute ulcers healed more rapidly. Ulcer relapse rates were dramatically reduced after H. pylori eradication. All of the studies involving nonulcer dyspepsia assessed clearance rather than eradication of H. pylori. No study used validated outcome measures. A consistent decrease in symptom severity was no more prevalent in patients in whom the organism had been cleared than in those taking a placebo. Of the studies concerning gastric cancer none investigated the effect of eradication of H. pylori on subsequent risk of gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: There is sufficient evidence to support the use of anti-H. pylori therapy in patients with duodenal ulcers who have H. pylori infection, triple therapy achieving the best results. There is no current evidence to support such therapy for nonulcer dyspepsia in patients with H. pylori infection. Much more attention must be paid to the design of nonulcer dyspepsia studies. Also, studies are needed to determine whether H. pylori eradication in patients with gastritis will prevent gastric cancer.     

The effect of in vitro theophylline on T lymphocytes from patients with ulcers

An increase in the interest in the cellular immunity in patients with peptic and duodenal ulcers dates back to the detection of histamine H2 receptors on T-cells. In vitro effect of theophylline on T-cells in patients with peptic and duodenal ulcers was investigated. The experiment included 107 patients: 60 with peptic and duodenal ulcers and 47 controls. The experiment was carried out with theophylline test enabling to divide the whole population of T-cells forming active and "late" rosettes (ARCF and TRCF, respectively) into three subpopulations: theophylline-resistant, theophylline-sensitive, and theophylline-dependent T-cells. Increased number of theophylline-dependent T-cells and significantly reduced baseline value of rosette-forming T-cells (p greater than .02) were found in patients with duodenal ulcer. Theophylline-dependent lymphocyte number was the highest in TREC rosette fraction in patients with duodenal ulcer. Statistically significant (p greater than .01; p greater than .05) and independent of patients' age tendency to an increase in the number of theophylline-sensitive T-cells in TRFC rosettes was seen in both peptic and duodenal ulcers. Theophylline-resistant lymphocytes ratio to theophylline-sensitive ones in TRFC rosettes was also significantly lower in patients with peptic ulcer. No correlation between these results and patients age was found in both the control group and patients with the ulcerative disease. An increase in theophylline-dependent T-cells in patients with duodenal ulcer suggests an increase in the number of immature forms of T-cells and indicate an important role of T-cells maturation disorders in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer.     

Gastric antisecretory and antiulcer activity of oxytocin in rats and guinea pigs.

The effect of oxytocin (1 mg/kg s.c) on gastric acid secretion and on different experimentally induced gastric and duodenal ulcers was studied. The acute gastric ulcer models used were pylorus ligation, indomethacin, ethanol and histamine induced acute gastric ulcers. Chronic gastric ulcers were induced using acetic acid and duodenal ulcers by cysteamine hydrochloride. Oxytocin showed significant antisecretory and antiulcer activity in pylorus ligated rats. Similarly oxytocin reduced the ulcer index in histamine induced gastric ulcers in guinea pigs and cysteamine induced duodenal ulcers in rats. The antiulcer and antisecretory effect was comparable to that of ranitidine (50mg/kg, i.p) though less in intensity. However, it did not show any gastric cytoprotective effect in ethanol and indomethacin induced ulcer models but ranitidine showed protection (p<0.05) in later model. Oxytocin enhanced gastric ulcer healing in acetic acid induced chronic gastric ulcer model. The reversal of oxytocin effect by atosiban, an oxytocin receptor antagonist indicates a role for oxytocin receptors. The antiulcer activity of oxytocin can be attributed to its antisecretory effect.     

Current Management Strategies in Acid-Related Disorders

Acid-related disorders include not only reflux esophagitis and peptic ulcer, but also a subset of patients with endoscopy-negative dyspepsia. The management strategy differs between these diseases and therefore a precise diagnosis is important. The unaided clinical diagnosis is of limited value in patients with pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, and endoscopy is therefore an important and cost-effective diagnostic tool.Duodenal ulcer is caused by an interplay between gastric acid and Helicobacter pylori. The treatment is aimed at rapid symptom relief and healing and at the same time eradication of H. pylori. At present the best choice is the combination of a proton pump inhibitor and two effective antimicrobial drugs, e.g., clarithromycin and metronidazole. The proton pump inhibitor has dual effect in this combination it provides optimal symptom relief and healing, and it increases the anti-H. pylori-effect of the antimicrobial drugs. The risk of reinfection varies geographically; in Europe it is around 1 percent per year, and cure of the infection provides long-term, maybe life-long, cure of the ulcer disease. Some gastric ulcers are not H. pylori-related and the treatment strategy therefore includes a diagnostic test for this infection. If positive, treatment is similar to that in duodenal ulcer, while H. pylori-negative gastric ulcer patients are treated with antisecretory drugs alone.Reflux esophagitis correlates with the degree of acid exposure to the esophagus, and intensive acid inhibition is the most effective non-surgical therapy. In most cases the disease is chronic and needs continuous long-term therapy to prevent relapse. A staged reduction in dosage of the acid inhibitory drug may be attempted when the esophagitis is healed and the patient has become symptom free, but full dose therapy is often needed.Patients with endoscopy-negative dyspepsia are a heterogenous group and a more precise identification of the cause of the symptoms is a prerequisite for rational treatment. Empiric treatment can be tried in patients without alarm symptoms like bleeding or a palpable abdominal mass, and often an acid inhibitory drug is used. A more precise identification of those patients who have acid-related symptoms is possible using placebo controlled single-subject trials with an effective acid inhibitory drug, but in daily routine these drugs are simply given for a short period of time, and in case symptomatic relief is observed, the symptoms may be regarded as being acid-related and treated accordingly.     

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori for the prevention of peptic ulcer rebleeding

AIM: To evaluate the effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on ulcer bleeding recurrence in a prospective, long-term study including more than 400 patients. METHODS: Patients with peptic ulcer bleeding were prospectively included. H. pylori infection was confirmed by rapid urease test, histology or (13)C-urea breath test. Several eradication regimens were used. Ranitidine 150 mg was administered daily until eradication was confirmed by breath test 8 weeks after completing eradication therapy. Patients with therapy failure received a second or third course of therapy. Patients with eradication success did not receive maintenance anti-ulcer therapy, and were controlled yearly with a repeated breath test. RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty-two patients were followed up for at least 12 months, with a total of 906 patient-years of follow up. Mean age was 59 years, and 35% were previous nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) users. Sixty-nine percent had duodenal, 24% gastric, and 7% pyloric ulcer. Recurrence of bleeding was demonstrated in two patients at 1 year (incidence: 0.22% per patient-year of follow up), which occurred after NSAID use in both cases. CONCLUSION: Peptic ulcer rebleeding does not occur in patients with complicated ulcers after H. pylori eradication. Maintenance anti-ulcer (antisecretory) therapy is not necessary if eradication is achieved.     

Duodenal ulcer and working-class mobility in an African population in South Africa.

The number of Africans in Johannesburg presenting with duodenal ulcers has steadily increased over the past 50 years. The characteristics of 105 patients with duodenal ulcer who presented a Baragwanath Hospital were compared with those of matched and unmatched samples of patients without gastrointestinal conditions in the same hospital. Men with duodenal ulcers were found to be significantly better educated than their controls, most had been born in the town, and more of them were employed at higher, though not the highest, educational levels. These data were used to test Susser''s proposition that duodenal ulcers are associated with "early urbanisation." Johannesburg blacks with duodenal ulcer did seem to fit the pattern, but the relation between stress and duodenal ulcer remains unclear.     

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection in the management of patients with dyspepsia and non-ulcer dyspepsia.

Although H. pylori infection has been recognized as a major etiological agent for the development of chronic active gastritis, duodenal ulcer and benign non-NSAID related gastric ulcer, its role in the development of symptoms in patients with dyspepsia remains uncertain. Results from population-based epidemiological studies have been conflicting regarding a causal link between H. pylori infection and dyspepsia. Abnormalities in gastric acid secretion may exist in some dyspeptic patients. Whether disordered gastric motility seen in dyspeptic patients is related to the infection is not clear based on the results in the literature. Numerous clinical trials have been undertaken to eradicate H. pylori infection and improve the symptoms in dyspeptic patients; however, the results have been discrepant between studies. Many published studies suffer from methodological problems that have made interpretation difficult. Large, well-conducted, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trials with long-term follow-up are needed to justify the beneficial effect of H. pylori eradication treatment in dyspeptic patients seen in some small studies. H. pylori eradication therapy is cost-effective in H. pylori-infected dyspeptic patients although this benefit may take a long time to accrue, especially in younger patients.     

Helicobacter pylori–Positive Duodenal Ulcer: A Long-Term Double-Blind Randomized Study in Patients Healed with H2-Receptor Antagonists

Background. The NIH Consensus Conference in 1994 (1) concluded that all patients with peptic ulcr disease should be tested and treated for Helicobacter pylori and that further evaluation was needed for patients in remission.
Materials and Methods. We evaluated in a double blind randomization 30 patients whose duodenal ulcers had been healed with H₂-receptor antagonists and who remained in remission on maintenance therapy. After ulcer healing and the presence of H. pylori had been confirmed, these patients were randomized to receive eradication therapy or placebo and were followed for a mean period of 23 months.
Results. Almost all patients receiving placebo had ulcer recurrence, whereas the patients treated with antibiotics demonstrate a low recurrence rate.
Conclusion. These data suggest, for the first time to our knowledge, the importance of treating with antibiotics duodenal ulcer patients whose disease is in remission.     

奥美拉唑与呋喃唑酮及阿莫西林联用治疗幽门螺杆菌阳性十二指肠肠溃疡的疗效观察

目的：观察奥美拉联用呋喃唑酮及阿莫西林治疗幽门螺杆菌(Hp)阳性十二指肠溃疡的临床疗效。方法：对45例经胃镜活检证实的Hp阳性十二指肠溃疡应用奥美拉唑20mg Bid 呋喃唑酮0．2g Bid 阿莫西林1．0g Bid,疗程1w。结果：45例病例中,42例愈合,40例根除,7d疼痛缓解率为87％。结论：呋喃唑酮三联疗法能有效地根除Hp,且不良反应少,疗效高,病人依从性好,价格适中,是较理想的方案,值得进一步尝试。     

埃索美拉唑治疗幽门螺杆菌阳性十二指肠球部溃疡疗效观察

目的：比较埃索关拉唑与兰索拉唑、奥美拉唑三联疗法治疗幽门螺杆菌（Hp）阳性十二指肠球部渍疡疗效观察。方法：将84例Hp阳性的十二指肠球部溃疡随机分为三组。埃索美拉唑组（28例）：埃索美拉唑20mg＋阿莫西林1g＋呋喃唑酮100mg,每日2次,共7日,后服用埃索美拉唑20mg,每日一次,共21天;兰索拉唑组（28例）：兰索拉唑15mg＋阿莫西林1g＋呋喃唑酮100mg,每日2次,共7日,后服用兰索拉唑15mg,每日一次,共21天;奥美拉唑组（28例）：奥美拉唑20mg＋阿莫西林1g＋呋喃唑酮100mg,每日2次,共7日,后服用奥美拉唑20mg,每日一次,共21天。疗效结束4周后复查胃镜并检测Hp,观察腹痛缓解率、溃疡愈合率,Hp根治率及药物不良反应。结果：埃索美拉唑组、兰索拉唑组和奥关拉唑组溃疡愈合率分别为100％,85．7％,82．1％,HP根治率为85．7％,60．7％,64.3％,埃索美拉唑组溃疡愈合率及Hp根除率高于兰索拉唑组及奥美拉唑组,差异具有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。兰索拉唑组及奥美拉唑组溃疡愈合率及Hp根除率无明显差异（P〉0．05）。三组用药后不良反应少,具较好的安全性。结论：埃索关拉唑三联疗法治疗Hp阳性的消化性溃疡疗效优于兰索拉唑及奥美拉唑三联疗法,值得临床广泛应用。     

Serum concentration of prolactin, gastrin and glycocholic acid in patient with peptic ulcer treated with ranitidine

In 66 patients with peptic ulcer (11 with gastric ulcer, 55 with duodenal ulcer, 19 women, 47 men) the serum concentrations of prolactin, dehydrocholic acid and gastrin were determined. The studies were repeated after treatment with ranitidine: in 50 patients after three weeks and in 40 patients after another 30 days. During the first period ranitidine 2 x 150 mg was administered, while during the second period the dose was 1 x 150 mg. The results were compared with those obtained from 120 healthy subjects. Before starting the treatment prolactin levels were significantly higher than those in the control group. During the treatment a significant decrease of the levels was observed. Similar changes of prolactin concentrations were found in the group of 39 men with duodenal ulcer isolated from the studied patients, who were compared with a group of 50 healthy men. It was not found that the development of peptic ulcer and the treatment with ranitidine exerted and effect on the changes of gastrin and dehydrocholic acid concentrations.     

The N-terminal tridecapeptide fragment of gastrin-17 inhibits gastric acid secretion

After a meal the serum concentrations of the N-terminal tridecapeptide-like fragment of gastrin-17, (1-13)G-17, increased markedly in patients with active duodenal ulcer, but less so in healthy subjects. Consequently the synthetic (1-13)G-17 was infused intravenously in doses that resulted in concentrations similar to those measured in duodenal ulcer patients in order to examine whether the N-terminal fragment influences gastric acid secretion. Doses of 125 and 400 pmol (1-13)G-17/kg per h inhibited the meal-stimulated acid secretion by 36% (P less than 0.05) and 66% (P less than 0.05) respectively. The release of endogenous C-terminal gastrin immunoreactivity was not influenced. The infusion of (1-13)G-17 also inhibited the acid response to exogenous gastrin-34, gastrin-17 and Peptavlon, but not to gastrin-4. The results suggest that the N-terminal gastrin-17 fragment--although devoid of the hitherto considered only active site of gastrin--plays a significant role in the regulation of the gastric acid secretion in patients with active duodenal ulcer.     

TNF/LTA polymorphisms and risk for gastric cancer/duodenal ulcer in the Korean population

The tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) are proinflammatory cytokines with immunoregulatory effects. TNF is also known to inhibit gastric acid secretion. Previously we have shown that the known proinflammatory genotypes, IL-1B -31C/+ and IL-1RN *2/*2, were not associated with increased risks for gastric cancer/duodenal ulcer in the Korean population. In this study, we tested the association between the polymorphisms of another candidate cytokine TNF/LTA and 341 gastric cancers, 133 duodenal ulcers, and 261 healthy controls. Five TNF promoter polymorphisms (-1031, -863, -857, -308, and -238) and two LTA polymorphisms (intron 1 and Thr26Asn) were analyzed. Individual polymorphisms were not associated with the gastric cancer and/or duodenal ulcer risk. When a haplotype analysis was performed with seven polymorphisms, differences in haplotype profile between the controls and gastric cancer and/or duodenal ulcer were not statistically significant. However, the frequencies of individual haplotypes C and D, which had opposite alleles at -1031, -863, and -857, showed statistically significant differences between the gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer (P=0.005 and P=0.02, respectively), suggesting that the TNF/LTA genotypes might play an opposite role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer.     

Development and Significance of Cysteamine and Propionitrile Models of Duodenal Ulcer

Cysteamine is widely used in rodents to induce duodenal ulcer. Herein, the pathogenesis of duodenal ulceration in its earliest stages was reviewed using findings from cysteamine-and propionitrile-induced duodenal ulcer in rodent models, especially taking into account changes in the secretion of gastric acid, duodenal and pancreatic bicarbonate as well asgastroduodenal motility. The effect of cysteamine-HCl in inducing ulcers in rats is circadian rhythm-dependent. The effect is greatest from just before the end of diurnal rest to just after the start of nocturnal activity. The chronobiologic effect may be in part due to the circadian rhythm-dependent increased gastric acid production from cysteamine. Titratable acidity was found to be twice as great in the gastric juice of rodents when cysteamine was given by injection at 2000 (just after the start of nocturnal activity) in comparison to when given at 0800 or 1200 (at the beginning or middle span of daily rest). Further studies have shown that adrenalectomy of rats 7 days before cysteamine administration obliterated the observed circadian susceptibility to ulcer formation. Duodenal ulceration, at least in the cysteamine model, appears to be under chronobiologic neuroendocrine control or influence, seemingly mediated by the adrenal glands.     

Effectiveness and tolerance of selected Polish antacids in the therapy of duodenal ulcer disease. A placebo- and ranitidine-controlled study

In a randomized, open clinical trial we compared the efficiency of selected Polish antacids Alugastrin, Gastrin and Wikalina with ranitidine and placebo in the healing of duodenal ulcer, pain relief and drug toleration. One hundred and ten outpatients completed the study. The trial showed that antacids and ranitidine had similar rates of duodenal ulcer healing which were significantly better than placebo. After 4 weeks of treatment with Alugastrin, Gastrin, Wikalina and ranitidine the healing rates were 70%, 76%, 71% and 81%, respectively, compared to placebo 44%. Efficiency of antacids in pain relief was similar to placebo and slightly lower than ranitidine. Antacids were well tolerated, except for hypermagnezemia and urine alkalization caused by Gastrin and Wikalina. We conclude that studied antacids are as effective as ranitidine in promoting healing of duodenal ulcer, but because of side effects they are not recommended for maintenance therapy.     

Changes in the intensity of protein synthesis in the gastric mucosa following the laser irradiation of a duodenal ulcer]

The intensity of protein synthesis (incorporation/pool) is usually low in normal stomach mucosa and enhanced in exacerbation of peptic ulcer; following the effective laser therapy it decreases only in one third of cases. Therefore the scarring of ulcer not always coincides with the normalization of protein synthesis. The results characterize also the community of reactions in stomach and duodenal mucose membranes. The changes in protein synthesis intensity following the laser irradiation depended neither on the initial size of ulcer nor on the age of patient and the total duration of disease.