Randomised controlled trial of short term treatment to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether one week's drug treatment is sufficient to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer. DESIGN: Single blind, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Specialised ulcer clinic in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS: 155 patients with H pylori and a duodenal ulcer verified endoscopically which had either bled within the previous 24 hours or was causing dyspepsia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were allocated randomly to receive either omeprazole for four weeks plus bismuth 120 mg, tetracycline 500 mg, and metronidazole 400 mg (all four times a day) for the first week (n = 78), or omeprazole alone for four weeks (n = 77). Further endoscopy was performed four weeks after cessation of all drugs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence or absence of H pylori (by urease testing, microscopy, and culture of antral biopsy specimens), duodenal ulcer, and side effects. RESULTS: Eradication of H pylori occurred in 70 (95%) patients taking the four drugs (95% confidence interval 86% to 97%) compared with three (4%) patients taking omeprazole alone (1% to 11%). Duodenal ulcers were found in four (5%) patients taking the four drugs (2% to 12%) and in 16 (22%) patients taking omeprazole alone (14% to 32%). Mild dizziness was the only reported side effect (six patients in each group) and did not affect compliance. CONCLUSIONS: A one week regimen of bismuth, tetracycline, and metronidazole is safe and effective in eradicating H pylori and reduces the number of duodenal ulcers four weeks after completing treatment.