Current understanding and management of Helicobacter pylori infection: an updated appraisal.

ABSTRACT

In addition to its role in gastric conditions, Helicobacter pylori has been found to contribute to the development of several non-gastric issues in recent years. Eradication therapy is the only effective management strategy to minimize the H. pylori-related gastric cancer and extra-gastric complications. For an effective "test and treat" strategy, diagnosis and therapy are both important. Because the infection is usually asymptomatic, patient selection is a critical issue for timely diagnosis and many clinical and demographic factors should be considered. Clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance rates also need to be considered while eradication therapy is offered. In this report, we discuss the issues which must be taken into account for the correct and timely diagnosis and for the antibiotic therapy-based management of H. pylori infection.