0000000000422013
AUTHOR
Paolo Borro
Stool antigen assay (HpSA) is less reliable than urea breath test for post-treatment diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection
Summary Background : The diagnostic yield of the stool antigen test (HpSA) in evaluating the results of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy is controversial, but many studies have used only the 13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT) as a gold standard which has greatly reduced their relevance. Aim : To compare the reliability of HpSA and 13C-UBT in patients post-treatment using biopsy-based methods as reference tests. Methods : A total of 100 consecutive dyspeptic patients (42 male and 58 female; mean age, 56 ± 18 years) were enrolled in our study. All patients were H. pylori positive on the basis of at least two biopsy-based methods, and underwent 1 week of treatment with various triple therap…
White Paper of Italian Gastroenterology: Delivery of services for digestive diseases in Italy: Weaknesses and strengths
In 2011 the three major Italian gastroenterological scientific societies (AIGO, the Italian Society of Hospital Gastroenterologists and Endoscopists; SIED, the Italian Society of Endoscopy; SIGE, the Italian Society of Gastroenterology) prepared their official document aimed at analysing medical care for digestive diseases in Italy, on the basis of national and regional data (Health Ministry and Lombardia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna databases) and to make proposals for planning of care. Digestive diseases were the first or second cause of hospitalizations in Italy in 1999–2009, with more than 1,500,000 admissions/year; however only 5–9% of these admissions was in specialized Gastroenterology un…
The impact of antibiotic resistance on the efficacy of three 7-day regimens againstHelicobacter pylori
Background: Antibiotic resistance affects the success of anti-Helicobacter pylori therapies and varies greatly from country to country. Aim: To compare the efficacy of three short-term triple regimens in relation to H. pylori primary resistance in our region. Methods: We enrolled 210 H. pylori-positive dyspeptic patients for this randomized, open, parallel-group study. Three arms of 70 patients each received the following 1-week regimens: (1) ranitidine bismuth citrate 400 mg b.d. + clarithromycin 250 mg b.d. + metronidazole 500 mg b.d. (RCM); (2) bismuth subcitrate 240 mg b.d. + amoxycillin 1000 mg b.d. + metronidazole 500 mg b.d. (BAM); (3) omeprazole 20 mg o.d. + clarithromycin 250 mg b.…