Four-day quadruple therapy as a routine treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: H. pylori eradication usually involves treatment with three or four drugs for at least 7 days. Possible advantages of short treatment regimens are better patient compliance and tolerability. and less adverse effects. Recently two reports have shown a cure rate of > 90% using a 4-day quadruple therapy.

AIM: To confirm these data and to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of 4-day quadruple therapy in a single centre.

METHODS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia or peptic ulcer disease, and proven H. pylori infection, received 4 days of quadruple therapy (bismuth, tetracycline, metronidazole, lansoprazole). At least 6 weeks after treatment, endoscopy was repeated with six biopsies of antrum and corpus for histology and culture.

RESULTS: The intention-to-treat cure rate was 34/38 (89.5%, 95% CI: 79.7-99.2%). In the per protocol analysis the cure rate was 34/37 (91.9%, 95% CI: 83.1-100%). Primary metronidazole resistance was observed in two patients; both were cured. Metronidazole resistance induction was observed in one patient in whom therapy failed. The treatment was generally well tolerated.

CONCLUSION: Routine use of 4-day quadruple anti-H. pylori treatment is effective and well tolerated.