Positive result by serology indicates active Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with atrophic gastritis

Patients with atrophic corpus gastritis and elevated Helicobacter pylori antibody titers but C-13-urea breath test (C-13-UBT) and histology results negative for H. pylori were randomized into eradication therapy or follow-up only. Antibody levels decreased significantly in six out of seven patients in the eradication group, while in the follow-up group, the titers declined in only one out of eight patients. In patients with atrophic corpus gastritis, positive serology results may indicate an ongoing infection in spite of negative C-13-UBT and histology results.