EDITORIAL Treatment Strategies for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: Current Perspective
All over the world anti-microbial based triple
practice. Resistance to metroindazole and clarithromycin
therapy is the standard treatment but eradication rates
is much more important clinically and resistance to one
have declined to the extent that alternative or salvage
of these agents leads to failed therapy. Resistance to
therapies using levofloxicin and rifabutin have gained
clarithromycin is caused by mutation in the organism that
importance. Seqential therapy is a newly described
prevents binding to the antibiotic to the ribosome of H.
regimen that has been in many studies shows to be
pylori thereby preventing interruption of action of
H. pylori infection has been falling in developed
Metronidazole is a prodrug that must be reduced
countries. Challenges with eradication have increased
in the cell to have an adverse effect on bacterial. DNA
as the resistant strains of H. pylori have increased. The
Mutation in gene called rdx A has been associated with
eradication rates have decreased to 65% with confidence
metronidazole resistance.6 Metronidazole resistance
interval (CIS) ranging from 57-73%.1 Clarythromycin
causes an efficacy reduction of 50% with triple and
resistance is 13% in America, metronidazole resistance
is common in Asia.1,2 A study from Kuwait reported
Recent recommen-dations of European H. pylori
high resistance to metronidazole but no resistance to
study group and American College of Gastroenterologist
clarithromycin.3 In Iran, resistance to clarithromycin is
recommend triple therapy(proton pump inhhibitor+
amoxicillin+clarithromycin) as initial therapy for treatment
Anti-microbial therapy used for eradication of H.
of H. pylori.17,18 Quadruple therapy (proton pump
pylori was developed for the treatment of other infections
inhibitor+bismuth+metronidazole+tetracycline) is an
and was not specificaly developed to achieve high
alternative initial therapy. In an Irish study triple therapy
concentration in gastric mucosa where H. pylori reside.
was successful in 77% + Bismuth based quadriple
Proton pump inhibition have been used to improve drug
therapy or alternative therapy was successful on 56%.7
concentraton in gastric juice along with anti-microbial
In another study in Greece patients initially treated with
agents to improve eradication of H. pylori infection.
PPI triple therapy failure were given quadruple therapy
Non-complaince of anti-microbial agents is a
and patients failing treatment were given levofloxcin triple
major clinical problem. It is difficult to adhere to quadruple
therapy and achieved eradication rate of 89.6%.29 A
therapies which require ingestion of drugs four times daily.
study from Spain reported a success rate of 99.5% when
Intolerable side effects associated with prolonged courses
traditional therapy was used and salvage therapies were
of treatment can lead to non-compliance. Sequential
adminsitered to those who fail triple therapy.
therapy and compliance packs can help with adherence
to drug regimen. Addition of proton pump inhibitors to
tetracycline+proton pump inhibitors) adminstered for 7-
anti-microbial therapy decreases the viscosity of gastric
10 days is particularly useful tratment where metro-
mucosa and increases its permeability. Clarithromycin is
nidazole resistance is low and clarithromycin resistance
very sensitive to degradation by gastric acid and has half
is high. In a large randomized controlled trial, eradication
life of less than 1 hour at pH of 2.5Metronidazole is stable
rates were similar in proton pump triple therapy (78%)
in gastric juice regardless of pH with half life of 800 hours.
and quadriple therapy 82%. A major disadvantage is
Amoxicillin is less stable in low pH with half life of 15
that 3 tablets are needed to be taken 4 times daily. In
addition a proton pump inhibitor must be taken twice
Amoxicillin and metroindazole or tinidazole form
daily. This regimen is associated with poor adherence.
the corner stone of treatment regimen. Combination of
In one study performed between 1997 and 1999
drugs that do not contain any of these agents have poor
patients received a 5 day treatment with 3 antibiotics,
efficacy. Resistance to amoxicillin is very rare in clinical
amoxicillin 1 gm twice daily, clarithromycin in 250mg
Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 12 No.1 (Jan. 2009)
twice daily, metrogyle 400mg twice daily alongwith PPI. pylori by 7-day triple-therapy regimens combining
Recommendations for this therapy have surfaced recently
pantoprazole with clarithro-mycin, metronidazole, or
with new name "concurrent or concomittant therapy".
amoxicillin in patients with peptic ulcer disease:results
Sequential therapy is a novel treatment method.
of two double-blind, randomized studies. Helicobacter.
Instead of administering the anti-microbial all at once,
they are administered in sequence; this reduces side
Duck WM, Sobel J, Pruckler JM, Song Q, Swerdlow D,
effects. This treatment strategy was developed based
et al. Antimicrobial resistance incidence and risk factors
upon the observation that dual drug therapy were still in
among Helicobacter pylori-infected persons. United
use. Studies conducted have demonstrated that
States Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:1088-94.
eradication rate achieved with a therapeutic strategy of
John Albert M, Al-Mekhaizeem K, Neil L, Dhar R,
intially administering 14 day dual therapy in individuals
Dhar PM, et al. High prevalence and level of resistance
who failed. The regional therapy was better than reverse
to metronidazole, but lack of resistance to other
sequence (7-day triple therapy as initial strategy with 14
antimicrobials in Helicobacter pylori, isolated frommultiracial population in Kuwait. Aliment Pharmacol
days dual therapy for failures).9 The sequential therapy
is best described as 10 day treatment consisting of PPI
Mohammadi M, Doroud D, Mohajerani N, Massarat S.
and amoxicillin 1 gm (both twice daily) administered for
Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance in Iran. World
first 5 days followed by triple therapy (PPI+ clari-
thromycin 500 mg BD, tinidazole 500 mg BD) for
Goddard A. Review article: factors inluencing antibiotic
remaining 5 days. A recent meta analysis of 10 trials
transfer across the gastric mucosa. Aliment Pharmacol
Levofloxacin and rifabutin are treatment for
Goodwin A, Kersulyre D, Sisson G, Veldhuyzen van
patients in whom standard treatment fails. Ten days
Zanten SJ, Berg DE, Hoffman PS. Metronidazole resis-
levofloxacin triple therapy was superior to 7 days therapy
tance in Helicobacter pylori is due to null mutations in
and lower dose of levofloxicin (250 mg twice daily) was
a gene (rdxA)that encodes an oxygen-insensitive
effective as high dose (500 mg twice daily). In a
NADPH intro-reductase. Mol Microbiol. 1998;28:383-
randomized comparison of levofloxicin therapy and
rifabutin triple therapy in patients with failed otehr
Sharma VK, Howden CW. A national survey of primary
treatment, levofloxicin triple therapy was superior to
care physicians' perceptions and practices related to
Helicobacter pylori infection. J Clin Gastrointerol.
In conclusion there are two main therapeutic
strategies: tradition and emergent. Tradition therapy is
Gisbert JP, Gisbert JL, Marcos S, Jimenez-alonso I,
based upon sound evidence. These treatment regimens
Moreno-Orero R, Pajares JM. Empirical rescue therapy
are effective but substantial number of patients require a
after Helicobacter pylori treatment failure: a single centre
second course of treatment. Sequential therapy has
study of 500 patients. Aliment Pharmacol Ther.
emerged new mode of treatment which has high degree
of success in many trials around the world and makes it
Rinaldi V, Zullo A, Pugliano F, Valente C, Diana F, Attli
AF. The management of failed dual or triple therapy forHelicobacter pylori eradication. Aliment Pharmacol
Gatta L, Di Mario F, Zullo A, Vaira D. Errors in a
metaanalysis of treatments for Helicobacter pylori
infection. Ann Ingtern Med. 2008;149:686.
Van der Poorten D, Katelaris PH. The effectivenessof rifabutin triple therapy for patients with difficult-to-eradicate Helicoabcter pylori in clinical practice. REFERENCES Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007;26:1537-42.
Bochenek WJ, Peters S, Praga PD, Wang W, Mack ME,
Nimish Vakil. Helocobacter pylori eradication.
et al. Helobacter pylori Pantoprazole Eradication
Sequential and tetracycline therapy. Gastroenterology
(HELPPE) Study Group. Eradication of Helicobacter
Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 12 No.1 (Jan. 2009)
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