ABSTRACT
Helicobacter pylori (formerly Campylobacter pylori) is now recognized as an etiological factor in gastritis and duodenal ulcers and probably also gastric ulcers. Eradication of the bacteria is fundamental to avoid ulcer relapse. Although bismuth salts have been shown to be effective for treatment, they are not commercially available in Brazil. We report an attempt to treat patients with Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis with ampicilin (1000 mg twice daily for one month) and compare the results with the conventional treatment used in Brazil (ranitidine, 300 mg daily for one month) and with a combination of the two drugs. We studied 44 patients with histologically confirmed gastritis and with Helicobacter pylori, who were examined at the beginning and after one month of treatment. Ampicilin associated with ranitidine was better than ampicilin or ranitidine alone for the treatment of gastritis. Although ampicilin may be more efficient in patients with lower acid output we did not find a statistically significant difference between these two groups (ampicilin vs drug combination), perhaps owing to the small number of patients studied. When ampicilin was with ranitidine there was 25% normalization of the histological picture of the gastric mucosa. We conclude that ampicilin in combination with ranitidine may be a useful treatment for Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis
Subject(s)
Humans , Ampicillin/therapeutic use , Gastritis/drug therapy , Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy , Helicobacter pylori , Ranitidine/therapeutic use , Biopsy , Drug Combinations , Gastric Mucosa/pathology , Gastritis/etiology , Gastritis/pathology , Gastroscopy , Helicobacter Infections/complications , Helicobacter Infections/pathologyABSTRACT
The presence of Campylobacter pylori in gastric mucosa of patients with dyspeptic complaints has been described. The association of the symptoms and endoscopic and histopathologic alterations with the presence of the bacterium still remains unknown. 117 patients were studied with respect to dyspeptic symptoms, endoscopic and histopathologic examinations, microbiological analysis and urease test to detect Campylobacter pylori. Campylobacter pylori was found in 77 per cent of all patients. Of these 36.8 per cent had normal gastric mucosa and 84.7 per cent presented gastritis. There was no association between the symptoms, the endoscopic and histological findings.