The Application of High-Dose Proton Pump Inhibitor Induction Treatment before Dual Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: An Open-Label Random Trial

Abstract

This was a prospective, randomized, open-label trial. Patients without previous Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy were randomly assigned to either a high-dose dual therapy (HDDT) group or a traditional clarithromycin/amoxicillin triple therapy (CATT) group. In the HDDT group, patients took rabeprazole, 20 mg, four times per day for three days and then dual therapy with rabeprazole, 20 mg, and amoxicillin, 500 mg, four times per day during the patient’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime for 14 days. In the CATT group, patients received conventional triple therapy for 14 days (rabeprazole 20 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, and clarithromycin 500 mg twice per day). In the HDDT group, the success rates of H. pylori eradication were 91.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78–0.97) by intention-to-treat (ITT) and 94.3% (95% CI: 0.79–0.99) by per-protocol (PP) analysis. In the CATT group, the eradication rates were 77.1% (95% CI: 0.61–0.87) by ITT and 84.3% (95% CI: 0.66–0.94) by PP analysis. The study completion rates were 97.2% (35/36) in the HDDT group. Three-day high-dose rabeprazole induction treatment before dual therapy and a schedule of taking the drug at meal and bed times could achieve an acceptable H. pylori eradication rate (>90%) and good drug compliance.