Age-dependent eradication of Helicobacter pylori in Japanese patients

AIM: To determine the general risk factors affecting the failure rate of first-line eradication therapy in Japanese patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. METHODS: The present study enrolled 253 patients who had an H. pylori infection, underwent gastro-endoscopy, and were treated with H. pylori eradication therapy. Eradication therapy consisted of 30 mg lansoprazole plus 750 mg amoxicillin and 400 mg clarithromycin twice daily for 7 d. All of the patients underwent a 13C urea breath test at least 1 mo after the completion of eradication therapy. The current study investigated the independent factors associated with successful H. pylori eradication using a multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall success rate in the patients was 85.8%. Among the general factors examined in the multivariate analyses, only having an age less than 50 years was found to be significantly associated with a poor response to H. pylori eradication. Moreover, side effects were the only clinical factors in the patients who were under 50 years of age that significantly influenced the poor response to H. pylori eradication. CONCLUSION: H. pylori-positive elderly patients should undergo eradication therapy. In addition, it is necessary to improve H. pylori eradication therapy in younger patients.