Current Perspective on the Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram-negative aerobic bacteria that infects humans and is responsible for causing more than 80% of cases of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and non-cardia gastric cancer. Both peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer lead to 1 million deaths annually. H. pylori is a pathogen responsible for these conditions, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis and eradication. Various invasive and non-invasive methods are available to diagnose with varying sensitivity and specificity. Invasive methods include endoscopy, culture, histology, rapid urease test, and molecular tests such as PCR. Non-invasive tests include serology, urea breath test, and stool antigen tests. However, there is growing concern about the increasing resistance of H. pylori to commonly available treatments. The lack of availability of invasive and non-invasive procedures to detect H. pylori worldwide, particularly in developing countries, are important concerns that need to be addressed in the future. Hence in the future, more emphasis should be placed on the development of an effective vaccine against H. pylori.