Abstract

Background
The aim was to investigate the H. pylori recurrence rate one year after successful eradication in dyspeptic patients in Guilan province, northern Iran.
Material and Method
Patients with chronic dyspepsia were enrolled in our gastroenterology clinic. Gastric biopsies were obtained by endoscopy and H. pylori infection was diagnosed using the Rapid Urease Test (RUT). Patients with H. pylori infection were prescribed clarithromycine-based quadruple therapy for 10 days. The (13)C urea breath test ((13)C-UBT) was used to assess H. pylori status 10 weeks after completing H. pylori therapy. Patients who H. pylori-negative had a second (13)C-UBT after 1 year to establish the recurrence rate.
Results
Of 269 dyspeptic patients with RUT positivity for H. pylori in endoscopy who were treated with the quadruple regimen for 10 days, 240 had negative (13)C-UBT 10 weeks after the end of therapy, with an eradication rate of 89.2% (95%CI: 82.2-97.2%) by per-protocol analysis. Of this group, 153 patients (63.8%) were female. The (13)C-UBT at 1 year was positive in 12 (5.0%) of the 240 patients. A mean age of >35 year, being female, living in an urban area, and a household size of more than 5 person were more frequent in the (13)C-UBT-positive patients at 1 year, but they were not statistically significant. In this study there was also no significant relationship between, job, educational status, and the source of domestic water with recurrence of H. pylori infection.
Conclusions
According to these data, the H. pylori recurrence rate in our region is 5% after successful eradication.

Keywords: Prospective Studies, Mineral Waters, Iran, Helicobacter pylori - isolation & purification, Helicobacter Infections - prevention & control, Family Characteristics, Drinking, Breath Tests, Adolescent, Recurrence, young adult