New guidelines for H. pylori management

A recent panel of expert gastroenterologists gather in Japan to write guidelines for the management of H. pylori. The highlights of the findings are:

• H. pylori gastritis should be classified separate from other forms of gastritis and should be categorized both by gastric sub-site and by histological and/or endoscopic severity.

• Once H. pylori is identified as the cause of gastritis, eradication therapy should be the first-line treatment,

• The experts concluded that the best locally effective regimen should be used for eradication and treatment outcome should always be assessed. Patients whose symptoms persist after successful H. pylori eradication should then be considered to have functional dyspepsia.

• While eradication of H. pylori reduces the risk of gastric cancer, it may not completely eliminate the risk. Therefore, patients who remain at risk should be offered endoscopic and histological surveillance.

GUT – July 2015