A short-term eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori acute gastritis

Background and Aims: Acute gastritis, caused by an initial infection of Hel icobacter pylori (H. pylori), may resolve spontaneously, but the infection sometimes becomes chronic. We examined the efficacy of a short-term H. pylo ri eradication therapy on acute gastritis. Methods: Among the 15 patients with hemorrhagic acute gastritis who were ra ndomly allocated to group A (eradication therapy) or group B (Lansoprazole, LPZ), 10 of them started to receive treatment within 1 day after the disea se onset. The other five patients began the eradication therapy 4-6 days af ter disease onset (group C). Eradication therapy consisted of a daily oral administration of each of 30 mg lansoprazole (LPZ), once a day; 400 mg clar ithromycin, twice a day; 1000 mg amoxicillin, twice a day; and 300 mg rebam ipide, three times a day, for one week. If the endoscopy was normal, medica tion was stopped for the following 4 weeks before gastric endoscopy was per formed again in order to assess H. pylori eradication. Results: All group A patients were cured after the 1-week treatment and the refore, they became H. pylori negative. Group B and C patients had erosions or ulcers after the 1-week treatment and so received an additional 3-week administration of LPZ. Four weeks later, their gastritis was cured and exce pt for one group B patient, they became H. pylori-negative. Conclusion: In patients with acute gastritis, caused by an initial H. pylor i infection, eradication therapy was efficacious in achieving early healing . This therapy should be started as soon as possible after disease onset. ( C) 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.