Recent Trends in Tailored Treatments for Helicobacter pylori Infection

ABSTRACT

The efficacy of the standard triple eradication regimen for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is gradually decreasing due to increased antibiotic resistance of H. pylori, which is represented by clarithromycin resistance. This is an important issue for clinicians. Tailored therapies for H. pylori infection, including culture-based susceptibility testing and molecular methods detecting genetic mutations that increase resistance to antibiotics, have been introduced to overcome the high treatment failure rate of the standard triple regimen. The treatment results have been satisfactory. In addition to the H. pylori-related factors, the CYP2C19 gene polymorphism, in terms of host factors, affects the effectiveness of proton pump inhibitors. This article reviews the status of the tailored therapies for H. pylori infection along with the proven therapeutic effects and benefits of such treatments in Korea, where the resistance to antibiotics such as clarithromycin, metronidazole, and quinolone is prevalent.