Helicobacter pylori eradication in patients on long-term treatment with NSAIDs reduces the severity of gastritis: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is often complicated by gastropathy. In non-NSAID users, eradication of Helicobacter pylori is associated with decreased mucosal inflammation, and may halt the progression to atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, but the continuous use of NSAIDs may interfere with these processes. GOAL: To investigate the effect of H. pylori eradication on gastric mucosal histology during long-term NSAID use, with and without gastroprotective therapy. STUDY: Patients were eligible for inclusion if they were on long-term NSAIDs and were H. pylori-positive on serologic testing. Patients were randomly assigned to either eradication or placebo. Gastritis was assessed according to the updated Sydney classification for activity, chronic inflammation, gastric glandular atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and H. pylori density. RESULTS: Biopsy specimens were available for histology of 305 patients. Of these, 48% were on chronic gastroprotective medication. Significant less active gastritis, inflammation, and H. pylori density was found in the eradication group compared with the placebo group in both corpus and antrum (P<0.001). In the corpus, less atrophy was found in the eradication group compared with the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori eradication in patients on long-term NSAID therapy leads to healing of gastritis despite ongoing NSAID therapy.

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori does not reduce the incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers in patients on long-term NSAID treatment: double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the major causes of gastroduodenal ulcers. Studies on the benefit of eradication of H. pylori in NSAID users yielded conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether H. pylori eradication in patients on long-term NSAIDs reduces the incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers. METHODS: Patients on long-term NSAID treatment and who are H. pylori positive on serologic testing, were randomly assigned to either H. pylori eradication (omeprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin) or placebo. Primary endpoint was the presence of endoscopic gastric or duodenal ulcers 3 months after randomization. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five (48%) of a total of 347 patients were on gastroprotective medication. At endoscopy, gastroduodenal ulcers were diagnosed in 6 (4%) and 8 (5%) patients in the eradication and placebo group, respectively (p = .65). During follow-up of 12 months, no symptomatic ulcers or ulcer complications developed. No significant differences were found in the development of gastroduodenal erosions, dyspepsia, or in quality of life. CONCLUSION: H. pylori eradication therapy in patients on long-term NSAID treatment had no beneficial effect on the occurrence of ulcers, erosions, or dyspepsia. Ulcer rates in both study arms are remarkably low, in both patients with and without gastroprotective therapy.

Costs of treating bleeding and perforated peptic ulcers in The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: Gastrointestinal toxicity of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs includes perforations and bleeds. Several preventive strategies are being tested for cost-effectiveness, but little is known about the costs of the complications they are trying to prevent. We estimated the direct costs of hospital treatment of bleeding and perforated ulcers in a university hospital, from data in discharge letters and the hospital management information system. METHODS: Eligible patients had been treated in the VU University Medical Center between January 1997 and August 2000 for an ulcer bleed or perforation (International Classification of Diseases code 531-4). Resource use comprised hospitalization days and diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Insurance claim prices determined the costs from the payers' perspective. In a secondary analysis we excluded resource use that was clearly related to the treatment of comorbid illness. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients with a bleeding (n = 35) or perforated ulcer (n = 15) or both (n = 3) were studied, including 14 with comorbidity; 22 complications occurred in the stomach, 29 in the duodenum, one in both stomach and duodenum, and one after partial gastrectomy. A simultaneous bleed and perforation was most expensive (26,000 euro), followed by perforation (19,000 euro) and bleeding (12,000 euro). A bleed in the duodenum was more expensive than in the stomach (13,000 euro vs 10,000 euro), while the opposite was seen for perforations (13,000 euro vs 21,000 euro). Comorbidity increased costs substantially: even after correction for procedures unrelated to the ulcer complication, comorbidity more than doubled the costs of treatment. CONCLUSION: Treatment of complicated ulcers is expensive, especially in patients with comorbid conditions.