Background/aims: The increasing trend of antibiotic resistance emphasizes the need for the assessment of eradication rate of first and second-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The reinfection rate depends on the geographical, national, or socioeconomic status of the patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the recent 5-year changes of eradication rates and the reinfection rates after the successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection for 3-years follow-up in Bucheon, Korea.
Methods: From February 2001 to August 2006, 3,267 patients with H. pylori-positive peptic ulcer disease received the first-line therapy for 7 days. The 317 patients who failed to the first-line therapy received the second-line therapy for 7 days. The 167 patients with 3-years follow-up after the successful eradication were included. 13C-urea breath tests or rapid urease tests and histologies were assessed to determine the H. pylori status after the eradication.
Results: The eradication rate of first-line therapy was 83.7% in 2001, 83.4% in 2002, 83.7% in 2003, 85.9% in 2004, 87.2% in 2005, and 81.8% in 2006 by per protocol analysis (PP), respectively. The eradication rate of second-line therapy was 80.0% in 2002, 86.8% in 2003, 89.7% in 2004, 98.0% in 2005, and 78.8% in 2006 by PP. The cumulative reinfection rate was 6.0%. The annual reinfection rate was 2.0%. The recurrence rate of peptic ulcer was 17.2% in the patients without reinfection and 50% with reinfection.
Conclusions: The eradication rate for H. pylori have not changed in the recent 5-years. The annual reinfection rate was low. The successful eradication of H. pylori was effective for preventing the recurrence of peptic ulcers.