Review: Clinical Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection in China

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been associated with gastric disorders. The situation of H. pylori infection in China—where a high prevalence of H. pylori infection, a high incidence of gastric cancer, and widespread resistance to clarithromycin, metronidazole, and levofloxacin exist—is quite different from that in Western countries. In order for Chinese clinicians to better manage H. pylori infection, a Chinese Study Group on H. pylori published four consensus reports regarding the management of H. pylori infection in China between 1999 and 2012. The eradication rate with standard triple therapy was <80% in most areas of China. Bismuth is available in China, and bismuth‐containing quadruple therapy has been shown to produce a high eradication rate; thus, bismuth quadruple therapy could be recommended both as an initial and as a rescue therapy in China. There is no advantage of sequential therapy over triple therapy in Chinese patients, but the efficacy of concomitant therapy must be studied further. This review introduces the epidemiology, diagnosis, indicators, and therapies for the eradication of H. pylori in China in recent years.