Testing for Helicobacter pylori and eradicating it if positive
In that trial from Linqu, Shandong, which tracked participants for 22 years, those who eradicated H. pylori had approximately half the risk of later developing gastric cancer. The risk of dying from gastric cancer was approximately 40% lower. A single test costs one or two hundred yuan, and eradication requires two weeks of medication.
The carbon-13 or carbon-14 breath test costs 100 to 200 yu…
This randomized trial in Linqu, Shandong, followed participants for 22 years. In those who underwent H. pylori…
The carbon-13 or carbon-14 breath test costs 100 to 200 yuan. Eradicating the bacteria requires taking four different medications for two weeks; the medication cost for that period is 200 to 500 yuan. The main difficulty is ensuring the full two-week course of medication is taken on schedule.
This randomized trial in Linqu, Shandong, followed participants for 22 years. In those who underwent H. pylori eradication therapy, the odds ratio for gastric cancer was 0.48 (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.32–0.71). Gastric cancer is a rare outcome, so the odds ratio is close to relative risk: the risk was about half as high. The risk of dying from gastric cancer was about 38% lower (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.39–0.99).
Li WQ 等 (2019). Effects of Helicobacter pylori treatment and vitamin and garlic supplementation on gastric cancer incidence and mortality: follow-up of a randomized intervention trial. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l5016
Open source linkReinfection is possible even after eradication, so family members should be tested and treated together. The population in this trial consists of residents from high-incidence areas for gastric cancer. For those living in low-incidence areas, the actual benefits received will be much smaller. Eradication does not replace gastroscopy. For those aged 45 and above who belong to the high-risk group, see item 47 (to undergo gastroscopy screening).