Diagnosis, Treatment Patterns and Eradication Success for Helicobacter pylori Infections in China: A Retrospective...

In Mainland China, Helicobacter pylori infection is prevalent in about 50% of adults. However, there is limited real-world evidence on its diagnosis and treatment patterns. This study investigated diagnosis, treatment patterns, and effectiveness of eradication treatment in patients with Helicobacter pylori infections in China.

This retrospective, observational, real-world study used data from electronic medical records databases from three hospitals in Shanghai City, Shandong Province, and Zhejiang Province. Patients (≥ 18 years) with an H. pylori infection diagnosis between January 01, 2019, and December 31, 2021, were included. Of the 22 971 included patients (mean [standard deviation] age: 44.2 [14.2] years; female: 54.6%), 13 233 (57.6%) received eradication therapy and 1626 (7.1%) received efficacy evaluation testing. Overall, 85.4% of patients received bismuth-based quadruple therapies (BQTs), and 7.6% and 7.1% received triple and dual therapies, respectively. For BQT, the most common antibiotic combinations included amoxicillin and clarithromycin (38.7%), amoxicillin and furazolidone (18.4%), and amoxicillin and levofloxacin (17.8%). A 14-day treatment duration was most common for BQT; however, from 2020 to 2021, the number of patients with a 14-day treatment duration decreased. BQT had the highest eradication rate (76.7%), followed by dual (57.0%) and triple (48.4%) therapies. Eradication rates for amoxicillin and clarithromycin and for amoxicillin and furazolidone BQTs were 76.1% and 87.4%, respectively.

Treatment of H. pylori infections in China is fairly consistent with the national guidelines, with room for further improvement and standardization, especially with respect to antibiotic combinations, treatment duration, and efficacy evaluation testing. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05073367.