ANTIBACTERIAL THERAPY OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI-ASSOCIATED PEPTIC-ULCER DISEASE - A NEW STRATEGY - THE SWEDES GO FOR IT

A consensus meeting was held in Stockholm on Oct. 9, 1993, after consultations with the Swedish Association of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. The meeting was attended by 35 physicians with a special interest in Helicobacter pylori-associated diseases representing the following medical disciplines: gastroenterology, surgery, internal medicine, histopathology, microbiology, immunology, infectious diseases, clinical physiology, and cancer epidemiology. The aims of the meeting were to define and recommend methods of diagnosis, indications for anti-H. pylori therapy, alternatives for treatment regimens, principles of follow-up observation, and suitable measures of quality control. The participants agreed to recommend anti-H. pylori therapy only for the treatment of H. pylori-associated gastric and duodenal ulcer disease. A combination of amoxicillin, 1,000 mg b.i.d., plus omeprazole, 20 mg b.i.d., for 2 weeks was considered the first-line treatment. Second-line options are not specified, but amoxicillin plus a higher-dose omeprazole, clarithromycin plus omeprazole, or various triple regimens were discussed.