Impact of Smoking and Alcohol Consumption on Early-Onset Gastric Cancer Development in Young Koreans: A Population-Based Study.

PURPOSE: Although smoking and alcohol consumption are known risk factors for gastric cancer (GC), studies assessing their effects on early-onset GC are limited. In this nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study, we assessed the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on early-onset GC in patients aged <50 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed data of patients aged 20-39 years who underwent cancer and general health screening in the Korean National Health Screening Program between 2009 and 2012. We calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for GC incidence until December 2020. RESULTS: We enrolled 6,793,699 individuals (men:women=4,077,292:2,716,407) in this cohort. The mean duration of follow-up was 9.4 years. During follow-up, 9,893 cases of GC (men:women=6,304:3,589) were reported. Compared with the aHRs (95% CI) of never-smokers, those of former and current-smokers were 1.121 (1.044-1.205) and 1.282 (1.212-1.355), respectively. Compared with the aHRs (95% CI) of non-consumers, those of low-moderate- and high-risk alcohol consumers were 1.095 (1.046-1.146) and 1.212 (1.113-1.321), respectively. GC risk was the highest in current-smokers and high-risk alcohol consumers (1.447 [1.297-1.615]). Interestingly, alcohol consumption and smoking additively increased the GC risk in men but not in women (Pinteraction=0.002). CONCLUSION: Smoking and alcohol consumption are significant risk factors for early-onset GC in young Koreans. Further studies are needed to investigate sex-based impact of alcohol consumption and smoking on GC incidence in young individuals.

International Digestive Endoscopy Network consensus on the management of antithrombotic agents in patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Antithrombotic agents, including antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants, are widely used in Korea because of the increasing incidence of cardiocerebrovascular disease and the aging population. The management of patients using antithrombotic agents during endoscopic procedures is an important clinical challenge. The clinical practice guidelines for this issue, developed by the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, were published in 2020. However, new evidence on the use of dual antiplatelet therapy and direct anticoagulant management has emerged, and revised guidelines have been issued in the United States and Europe. Accordingly, the previous guidelines were revised. Cardiologists were part of the group that developed the guideline, and the recommendations went through a consensus-reaching process among international experts. This guideline presents 14 recommendations made based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology and was reviewed by multidisciplinary experts. These guidelines provide useful information that can assist endoscopists in the management of patients receiving antithrombotic agents who require diagnostic and elective therapeutic endoscopy. It will be revised as necessary to cover changes in technology, evidence, or other aspects of clinical practice.

Masculinity, Rather Than Biological Sex, Is Associated With Psychological Comorbidities in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background/Aims: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) generally shows sex differences, and psychiatric comorbidities play an important role in its pathogenesis. We aim to measure the levels of gender roles and investigate their relationship with psychiatric factors in patients with IBS versus healthy controls. Methods: Patients diagnosed with IBS by Rome III and whose colonoscopy findings were normal were enrolled at multiple sites in Korea. The participants completed the Korean Sex Role Inventory-Short Form (KSRI-SF) to assess masculinity and femininity, the stress questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire to assess the quality of life (QOL). Results: In total, 102 patients with IBS (male:female = 35:67; mean age 42.6 ± 16.7 years) and 55 controls (male:female = 20:35; mean age 42.4 ± 11.1 years) were recruited. IBS patients had higher stress (9.69 ± 8.23 vs 4.56 ± 8.31, P < 0.001) and HADS scores (16.12 ± 7.17 vs 10.22 ± 5.74, P < 0.001) than the control group, but showed no significant difference in KSRI-SF scores. No significant differences in HADS and KSRI-SF scores were found between males and females. However, IBS patients whose symptoms worsened due to stress and patients with anxiety or depression had significantly lower masculinity. QOL was poorer in IBS patients than in controls. In stepwise multivariate analyses, the anxiety score, depression score, and the degree of daily life disturbance, not masculinity, were associated with the QOL of IBS patients. Conclusions: IBS patients had higher stress, more psychiatric comorbidities, and lower QOL than controls. Low masculinity, rather than sex, was associated with stress and psychological comorbidities, which deteriorated the QOL in IBS patients.

The Persistence of Hypertriglyceridemia and the Risk of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer According to Tumor Subsites: A Nationwide Population-based Study.

Purpose: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EoCRC) is increasing worldwide. The association between hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and EoCRC risk remains unclear. Materials and Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study of 3,340,635 individuals aged 20-49 years who underwent health checkups between 2009 and 2011 under the Korean National Health Insurance Service. HTG was defined as serum triglyceride (TG) level ≥ 150 mg/dL. According to the change in TG status, participants were categorized into persistent normotriglyceridemia (NTG, group 1), NTG to HTG (group 2), HTG to NTG (group 3), and persistent HTG (group 4) groups. The EoCRC incidence was followed up until 2019. Results: In total, 7492 EoCRC cases developed after a mean of 6.05 years of follow-up. Group 4 had the highest risk of EoCRC (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.097, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.025-1.174). While the risk of rectal cancer was significantly increased in groups 3 and 4 (aHR [95% CI]: 1.236[1.076-1.419] and 1.175[1.042-1.325], respectively), no significant risk differences were observed in right colon cancer. In group 4, male sex and diabetes were associated with a further increased risk of EoCRC (aHR [95% CI]:1.149[1.082-1.221] and 1.409[1.169-1.699], respectively). In addition, there was a dose-response relationship between serum TG levels and the risk of EoCRC (p for trends < 0.0001). Conclusion: Persistent HTG increased the risk of EoCRC, which was significantly higher only for rectal cancer and marginally higher for other colonic subsites.

2022 Seoul Consensus on Clinical Practice Guidelines for Functional Constipation.

Chronic constipation is one of the most common digestive diseases encountered in clinical practice. Constipation manifests as a variety of symptoms, such as infrequent bowel movements, hard stools, feeling of incomplete evacuation, straining at defecation, a sense of anorectal blockage during defecation, and use of digital maneuvers to assist defecation. During the diagnosis of chronic constipation, the Bristol Stool Form Scale, colonoscopy, and a digital rectal examination are useful for objective symptom evaluation and differential diagnosis of secondary constipation. Physiological tests for functional constipation have complementary roles and are recommended for patients who have failed to respond to treatment with available laxatives and those who are strongly suspected of having a defecatory disorder. As new evidence on the diagnosis and management of functional constipation emerged, the need to revise the previous guideline was suggested. Therefore, these evidence-based guidelines have proposed recommendations developed using a systematic review and meta-analysis of the treatment options available for functional constipation. The benefits and cautions of new pharmacological agents (such as lubiprostone and linaclotide) and conventional laxatives have been described through a meta-analysis. The guidelines consist of 34 recommendations, including 3 concerning the definition and epidemiology of functional constipation, 9 regarding diagnoses, and 22 regarding managements. Clinicians (including primary physicians, general health professionals, medical students, residents, and other healthcare professionals) and patients can refer to these guidelines to make informed decisions regarding the management of functional constipation.

Improving performance robustness of subject-based brain segmentation software.

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis tools to quantify the brain have become commercialized. However, insufficient data for learning and scanner specificity is a limitation for achieving high quality. In the present study, the performance of personalized brain segmentation software when applied to multicenter data using an AI model trained on data from a single institution was improved. Methods: Preindicators of brain white matter (WM) information from the training dataset were utilized for preprocessing. During learning, data of cognitively normal (CN) individuals from a single center were utilized, and data of CN individuals and Alzheimer disease (AD) patients enrolled in multiple centers were considered the test set. Results: The preprocessing based on the preindicator (dice similarity coefficient [DSC], 0.8567) resulted in a better performance than without (DSC, 0.7921). The standard deviation (SD) of the WM region intensity (DSC, 0.8303) had a more substantial influence on the performance than the average intensity (DSC, 0.6591). When the SD of the test data WM intensity was smaller than the learning data, the performance improved (0.03 increase in lower SD, 0.05 decrease in higher SD). Furthermore, preindicator-based pretreatment increased the correlation of mean cortical thickness of the entire gray matter between Atroscan and FreeSurfer, and data augmentation without preprocessing did not.Both preindicator processing and data augmentation improved the correlation coefficient from 0.7584 to 0.8165. Conclusion: Data augmentation and preindicator-based preprocessing of training data can improve the performance of AI-based brain segmentation software, both increasing the generalizability and stability of brain segmentation software.

Sex and Tumor-Site Differences in the Association of Alcohol Intake With the Risk of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Given the increasing incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC; diagnosed before age 50 years) worldwide, it is important to identify modifiable risk factors. We investigated whether alcohol consumption in the young population correlated with an increased early-onset CRC risk that differed by tumor location and sex. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated the association between average daily alcohol consumption and the risk of early-onset CRC among 5,666,576 individuals age 20-49 years using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (2009-2019). Alcohol consumption levels of nondrinker, light (reference), moderate, and heavy drinker were defined as 0, <10, 10 to <30, and ≥30 g/d for men and 0, <10, 10 to <20, and ≥20 g/d for women, respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% CIs. RESULTS: We identified 8,314 incident early-onset CRC cases during the follow-up period. Moderate and heavy drinkers showed an increased risk of early-onset CRC compared with light drinkers (aHR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.02 to 1.16] and aHR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.11 to 1.29], respectively). Subgroup analysis by tumor location showed positive dose-response significance for early-onset distal colon and rectal cancers, but not for proximal colon cancer. The dose-response association between drinking frequency and risk of early-onset CRC was significant, with a 7%, 14%, and 27% increased risk for 1-2, 3-4, and ≥5 d/wk compared with nondrinkers, respectively. CONCLUSION: Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of CRC onset before age 50 years. Thus, effective interventions are required to discourage alcohol consumption among young people and to tailor CRC screening approaches for high-risk individuals.

Erratum: Korean Practice Guidelines for Gastric Cancer 2022: An Evidence-based, Multidisciplinary Approach.

This corrects the article on p. 3 in vol. 23, PMID: 36750993.

Risk of cancer in patients with insomnia: Nationwide retrospective cohort study (2009-2018).

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between insomnia and the risk of various cancers using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent a national health examination in 2009 were followed-up until 2018. Newly-diagnosed cancers were collected one year after the baseline. Insomnia was defined as having a diagnosis of F510 or G470 within one year prior to enrollment. The incidence of various cancers was compared between patients with and without insomnia. RESULTS: In the overall study population (N = 3,982,012), the risk for any type of cancer was not different between controls and insomnia patients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.990). However, it was different by age; insomnia increased the risk of any cancer in younger age groups (20-39y and 40-59y, aHR:1.310 and 1.139, respectively) but it significantly decreased the risk in the 60-79y age group (aHR: 0.939). In cancer type, colorectal cancer risk was lower (aHR: 0.872, P < 0.0001), whereas leukemia risk was higher (aHR: 1.402, P < 0.0001) in patients with insomnia than in those without it, regardless of sex. In men, the risk of stomach cancer was lower (aHR: 0.882, P = 0.0003), and the risks of lung (aHR:1.114, P = 0.0005), kidney (aHR 1.226, P = 0.0107), and prostate (aHR:1.101, P = 0.0028) cancers were higher in insomnia patients than in control patients. In women, insomnia patients compared to control patients showed a lower risk of ovarian cancer (aHR:0.856, P = 0.0344, respectively), while they had a higher risk of oral (aHR:1.616, P = 0.002), thyroid (aHR:1.072, P = 0.0192), and nerve (aHR: 1.251, P = 0.016) cancers. CONCLUSION: Insomnia is associated with an increased or decreased risk of some cancers, depending on age, cancer type and sex.

Clinical Practice Guideline for Gastritis in Korea.

Gastritis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the gastric mucosa. It is very common and has various classification systems such as the updated Sydney system. As there is a lot of evidence that Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with the development of gastric cancer and that gastric cancer can be prevented by eradication, H. pylori gastritis has been emphasized recently. The incidence rate of gastric cancer in Korea is the highest in the world, and due to the spread of screening endoscopy, atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia are commonly diagnosed in the general population. However, there have been no clinical guidelines developed in Korea for these lesions. Therefore, this clinical guideline has been developed by the Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research for important topics that are frequently encountered in clinical situations related to gastritis. Evidence-based guidelines were developed through systematic review and de novo processes, and eight recommendations were made for eight key questions. This guideline needs to be periodically revised according to the needs of clinical practice or as important evidence about this issue is published in the future.

Korean Practice Guidelines for Gastric Cancer 2022: An Evidence-based, Multidisciplinary Approach.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea and the world. Since 2004, this is the 4th gastric cancer guideline published in Korea which is the revised version of previous evidence-based approach in 2018. Current guideline is a collaborative work of the interdisciplinary working group including experts in the field of gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and guideline development methodology. Total of 33 key questions were updated or proposed after a collaborative review by the working group and 40 statements were developed according to the systematic review using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and KoreaMed database. The level of evidence and the grading of recommendations were categorized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation proposition. Evidence level, benefit, harm, and clinical applicability was considered as the significant factors for recommendation. The working group reviewed recommendations and discussed for consensus. In the earlier part, general consideration discusses screening, diagnosis and staging of endoscopy, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. Flowchart is depicted with statements which is supported by meta-analysis and references. Since clinical trial and systematic review was not suitable for postoperative oncologic and nutritional follow-up, working group agreed to conduct a nationwide survey investigating the clinical practice of all tertiary or general hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this survey was to provide baseline information on follow up. Herein we present a multidisciplinary-evidence based gastric cancer guideline.

Korean practice guidelines for gastric cancer 2022: an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea and the world. Since 2004, this is the 4th gastric cancer guideline published in Korea which is the revised version of previous evidence-based approach in 2018. Current guideline is a collaborative work of the interdisciplinary working group including experts in the field of gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and guideline development methodology. Total of 33 key questions were updated or proposed after a collaborative review by the working group and 40 statements were developed according to the systematic review using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and KoreaMed database. The level of evidence and the grading of recommendations were categorized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation proposition. Evidence level, benefit, harm, and clinical applicability was considered as the significant factors for recommendation. The working group reviewed recommendations and discussed for consensus. In the earlier part, general consideration discusses screening, diagnosis and staging of endoscopy, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. Flowchart is depicted with statements which is supported by meta-analysis and references. Since clinical trial and systematic review was not suitable for postoperative oncologic and nutritional follow-up, working group agreed to conduct a nationwide survey investigating the clinical practice of all tertiary or general hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this survey was to provide baseline information on follow up. Herein we present a multidisciplinary-evidence based gastric cancer guideline.

rs2671655 single nucleotide polymorphism modulates the risk for gastric cancer in Helicobacter pylori-infected individuals: a genome-wide association study in the Korean population.

OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic variations which is associated with gastric cancer (GC) risk according to Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: This study incorporated 527 GC patients and 441 controls from a cohort at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. The associations between GC risk and single nucleotide polymorphisms were calculated, stratified by H. pylori status, adjusting for age, sex, and smoking. mRNA expression from non-cancerous gastric mucosae was evaluated using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: In the entire cohort, genome-wide association study showed no significant variants reached the genome-wide significance level. In the H. pylori-positive group, rs2671655 (chr17:47,468,020;hg19, GH17J049387 enhancer region) was identified at a genome-wide significance level, which was more pronounced in diffuse type GC. There was no significant variant in the H. pylori-negative group, indicating the effect modification of rs2671655 by H. pylori. Among the target genes of GH17J049387 enhancer (PHB1, ZNF652 and SPOP), PHB1 mRNA was expressed more in cases than in controls, who were not affected by H. pylori. By contrast, an increase in ZNF652 and SPOP in GC was observed only in the H. pylori-negative group (P < 0.05). Mediation analysis showed that PHB1 (P = 0.0238) and SPOP (P = 0.0328) mediated the effect of rs2671655 on GC risk. The polygenic risk score was associated with the number of rs2671655 risk alleles only in the H. pylori-positive group (P = 0.0112). CONCLUSION: After H. pylori infection, rs2671655 may increase GC risk, especially in diffuse-type GC, by regulating the expression of several genes that consequently modify susceptibility to GC.

On-demand Versus Continuous Maintenance Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease With Proton Pump Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Long-term maintenance treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is commonly used to prevent relapse of reflux symptoms; however, due to concerns about safety of long-term proton pump inhibitors (PPI) use, on-demand therapy is recommended as a longterm treatment modality. We compared the efficacy of on-demand and continuous PPI therapy for maintenance treatment of patients with GERD using meta-analysis. METHODS: Core electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing on-demand and continuous therapy in GERD patients. The primary outcome was treatment failure of maintenance therapy, and the secondary outcomes included symptomatic relief, patient satisfaction, and amount of PPI use. RESULTS: Overall, 11 studies were selected in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with continuous PPI therapy, on-demand therapy showed similar outcomes for treatment failure (risk ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-2.07), particularly in the non-erosive esophageal reflux disease and mild erosive reflux disease group (risk ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.39-5.63). In studies including severe esophagitis patients, continuous PPI maintenance treatment was more effective (ß, 0.127 [95% CI, 0.066-0.188]; P < 0.001). Severity of esophagitis was associated with higher efficacies of continuous maintenance therapy. The amount of daily PPI use was about half in the on-demand group compared to the continuous group (risk difference -0.52; 95% CI, -0.62--0.42). CONCLUSIONS: On-demand PPI therapy shows comparable efficacy to the continuous maintenance treatment in the non-erosive esophageal reflux disease and mild erosive reflux disease group, and can remarkably reduce the amount of PPI use. Therefore, on-demand therapy may be preferentially recommended in the maintenance treatment of GERD unaccompanied by severe esophagitis.

Impact of comprehensive optical diagnosis training using Workgroup serrAted polypS and Polyposis classification on detection of adenoma and sessile serrated lesion.

OBJECTIVES: Many interventions have been attempted to improve adenoma detection rate (ADR) and sessile serrated lesion detection rate (SDR), and one of these interventions is educational training to recognize polyp characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the change in polyp detection rates of endoscopists before and after comprehensive training through the Gangnam-Real Time Optical Diagnosis (Gangnam-READI) program. METHODS: Fifteen gastroenterologists participated in a 1-year comprehensive training program that consisted of ex vivo and in vivo training that encompasses knowledge and skills in endoscopic characterization of colonic polyps using the Workgroup serrAted polypS and Polyposis (WASP) classification. We evaluated the impact of the training program by comparing the overall and individual ADR and SDR 6 months before and after the training. RESULTS: Overall, 18,280 polyps (9337 adenomas and 855 sessile serrated lesion) were collected. The optical diagnosis training had no significant impact on the difference in ADR after training compared to before training (47.7% vs. 46.5%, P = 0.608). A tendency for a decrease in ADR variance was noted among the endoscopists after training (74.9 vs. 32.7, P = 0.121). The overall pre-training period SDR was 4.5% and showed a statistically significant increase to 5.6%, 8.0%, and 7.1% in the first and second half of the training period, and post-training period, respectively (P = 0.003). The optical diagnosis training did not decrease variance in SDR (8.9 vs. 8.8, P = 0.985). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive optical diagnosis training with WASP classification has a significant impact on increasing the overall SDR of expert endoscopists.

2020 Seoul Consensus on the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which gastric contents regurgitate into the esophagus or beyond, resulting in either troublesome symptoms or complications. GERD is heterogeneous in terms of varied manifestations, test findings, and treatment responsiveness. GERD diagnosis can be established with symptomatology, pathology, or physiology. Recently the Lyon consensus defined the "proven GERD" with concrete evidence for reflux, including advanced grade erosive esophagitis (Los Angeles classification grades C and or D esophagitis), long-segment Barrett's mucosa or peptic strictures on endoscopy or distal esophageal acid exposure time > 6% on 24-hour ambulatory pH-impedance monitoring. However, some Asian researchers have different opinions on whether the same standards should be applied to the Asian population. The prevalence of GERD is increasing in Asia. The present evidence-based guidelines were developed using a systematic review and meta-analysis approach. In GERD with typical symptoms, a proton pump inhibitor test can be recommended as a sensitive, cost-effective, and practical test for GERD diagnosis. Based on a meta-analysis of 19 estimated acid-exposure time values in Asians, the reference range upper limit for esophageal acid exposure time was 3.2% (95% confidence interval, 2.7-3.9%) in the Asian countries. Esophageal manometry and novel impedance measurements, including mucosal impedance and a post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave, are promising in discrimination of GERD among different reflux phenotypes, thus increasing its diagnostic yield. We also propose a long-term strategy of evidence-based GERD treatment with proton pump inhibitors and other drugs.

Medical Management of Constipation in Elderly Patients: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem in the elderly. Because of the limitations of life style modifications and the comorbidity, laxative use is also very common. Therefore, this study reviews the latest literature on the effect and safety of laxative in the elderly. METHODS: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness and safety of laxatives for constipation in elderly patients over 65 years old were performed using the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. RESULTS: Twenty-three randomized controlled trials were included in this review. Among the selected studies, 9 studies compared laxative with placebo and 5 studies compared laxatives of the same type. Four studies compared different types of laxatives or compared combination agents. Five studies compared novel medications such as prucalopride, lubiprostone, and elobixibat with placebo. Psyllium, calcium polycarbophil, lactulose syrup, lactitol, polyethylene glycol, magnesium hydroxide, stimulant laxative with or without fiber, and other medications were more effective than placebo in elderly constipation patients in short-term. Generally, the frequency and severity of adverse effects of laxative were similar between the arms of studies. CONCLUSIONS: Bulk laxative, osmotic laxative, stimulant laxative with or without fiber, and other medications can be used in elderly patients in short-term within 3 months with reasonable safety. However, the quality of included studies was not high and most of studies was conducted in a small number of patients. Among these laxatives, polyethylene glycol seems to be safe and effective in long-term use of about 6 months in elderly patients.

Evidence based guidelines for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in Korea 2020.

Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. H. pylori is responsible for substantial gastrointestinal morbidity with a high disease burden. Since the revision of the H. pylori Clinical Practice Guidelines in 2013 in Korea, the eradication rate of H. pylori has gradually decreased with the use of a clarithromycin based triple therapy. According to a nationwide randomized controlled study by the Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research released in 2018, the intention-to-treat eradication rate was only 63.9%, which was mostly due to increased antimicrobial resistance to clarithromycin. The clinical practice guidelines for treatment of H. pylori were updated based on evidence-based medicine from a meta-analysis conducted on a target group receiving the latest level of eradication therapy. The draft recommendations developed based on the meta-analysis were finalized after expert consensus on three recommendations regarding the indication for treatment and eight recommendations on the treatment itself. These guidelines were designed to provide clinical evidence for the treatment of H. pylori to patients, nurses, medical school students, policymakers, and clinicians. These may differ from current medical insurance standards, and will be revised if more evidence emerges in the future.

Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Korea 2020.

Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. Although the prevalence of H. pylori is gradually decreasing, approximately half of the world's population still becomes infected with this disease. H. pylori is responsible for substantial gastrointestinal morbidity worldwide, with a high disease burden. It is the most common cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastric cancer. Since the revision of the H. pylori clinical practice guidelines in 2013 in Korea, the eradication rate of H. pylori has gradually decreased with the use of a clarithromycin-based triple therapy for 7 days. According to a nationwide randomized controlled study conducted by the Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research released in 2018, the intention-to-treat eradication rate was only 63.9%, which was mostly due to increased antimicrobial resistance, especially from clarithromycin. The clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of H. pylori were updated according to evidence-based medicine from a meta-analysis conducted on a target group receiving the latest level of eradication therapy. The draft recommendations developed based on the meta-analysis were finalized after an expert consensus on three recommendations regarding the indication for treatment and eight recommendations for the treatment itself. These guidelines were designed to provide clinical evidence for the treatment (including primary care treatment) of H. pylori infection to patients, nurses, medical school students, policymakers, and clinicians. These may differ from current medical insurance standards and will be revised if more evidence emerges in the future.