Does the urea breath test predict eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection?

Helicobacter pylori infection is common world-wide and has been linked to development of gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric lymphoma. However, antimicrobial resistance has decreased H. pylori eradication rates worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of -bacterial load on eradication rate. This prospective study included 237 consecutive patients who presented to our institution with dyspeptic symptoms and underwent both upper endoscopy and urea breath tests (UBT). The patients were divided into three equal sized groups according to their UBT values. All subjects received a standard triple eradication regimen, followed by a bismuth- based quadruple eradication regimen if triple eradication was not successful. The three groups were compared with respect to age, endoscopic findings, sex, and eradication rates. Our results were consistent with those of previous studies : higher UBT values were associated with failure of standard 14-day triple treatment (p