Efficacy of 7 day lansoprazole-based triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in elderly patients

Background: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori increases with age. However, data regarding the effects of anti‐H. pylori treatments in the elderly are very scarce. Methods: To evaluate the effect of three lansoprazole‐based, 7 day, triple‐therapy regimens on H. pylori eradication rates, symptomatology, chronic gastritis activity and serological markers of H. pylori infection in elderly subjects, we studied 150 symptomatic patients over 60 years of age with H. pylori‐positive duodenal ulcer (DU, n = 34), gastric ulcer (GU, n = 19) or chronic gastritis (CG, n = 97). Patients were consecutively treated with one of the following regimens: (A) lansoprazole (LNS) 30 mg b.i.d. + clarithromycin (CLR) 250 mg b.i.d. + metronidazole (MTR) 250 mg q.i.d.; (B) LNS 30 mg b.i.d. + amoxycillin (AMOX) 1 g b.i.d. + MTR 250 mg q.i.d.; and (C) LNS 30 mg b.i.d. + CLR 250 mg b.i.d. + AMOX 1 g b.i.d. Results: Two months after therapy, the eradication rates of the three treatments, expressed using both intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol analyses were, respectively; group A, 86 and 91.5%; group B, 80 and 87%; group C, 82 and 89.1%. After therapy, a significant reduction in epigastric pain (P < 0.001), heartburn (P = 0.02), dyspepsia (P < 0.001) and vomiting (P < 0.005) was observed independently of the success of H. pylori eradication. A significantly higher percentage of asymptomatic patients were in the GU‐DU group than in CG group (87.7 vs 70.0%, P = 0.032). After therapy, 33 subjects still suffered from symptoms. Persistence of symptoms was significantly associated with an endoscopic diagnosis of oesophagitis and not with H. pylori infection. Patients cured of H. pylori infection showed a significant decrease in the histological activity of both antral and body gastritis (P < 0.0001), a significant drop in immunoglobulin (Ig) G anti‐H. pylori antibodies (P < 0.0001) and pepsinogen (PG) C (P< 0.0001) and an increase in the PGA/PGC ratio (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The 7 day, lansoprazole‐based triple therapy was well tolerated and highly effective in the cure of H. pylori infection, the reduction of symptoms, chronic gastritis activity and serum levels of IgG anti‐H. pylori antibodies and PGC. Persistence of symptoms after therapy was significantly higher in CG than GU and DU patients and was significantly associated with oesophagitis.