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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2015; 21(48): 13432-13437
Published online Dec 28, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i48.13432
High antibiotic resistance rate: A difficult issue for Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment
Mei Zhang
Mei Zhang, Department of Gastroenterology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China
Author contributions: This author was the sole contributor to this paper.
Supported by Research Fund of Capital Medical Development, No. 2005-1008.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest; and no financial support.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Mei Zhang, MD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.45 Changchun Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing 100053, China. zhang2955@sina.com
Telephone: +86-10-83198438
Received: August 25, 2015
Peer-review started: August 26, 2015
First decision: September 29, 2015
Revised: October 17, 2015
Accepted: December 8, 2015
Article in press: December 8, 2015
Published online: December 28, 2015
Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with a variety of upper gastrointestinal diseases, including gastric cancer. With the wide application of antibiotics in H. pylori eradication treatment, drug-resistant strains of H. pylori are increasing. H. pylori eradication treatment failure affects the outcome of a variety of diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, antibiotic resistance that affects H. pylori eradication treatment is a challenging situation for clinicians. The ideal H. pylori eradication therapy should be safe, effective, simple, and economical. The eradication rate of triple antibiotic therapy is currently less than 80% in most parts of the world. Antibiotic resistance is the main reason for treatment failure, therefore the standard triple regimen is no longer suitable as a first-line treatment in most regions. H. pylori eradication treatment may fail for a number of reasons, including H. pylori strain factors, host factors, environmental factors, and inappropriate treatment.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, Resistance, Eradication treatment, Triple antibiotic therapy, Gastrointestinal disease

Core tip:Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with a variety of upper gastrointestinal diseases, including gastric cancer. H. pylori eradication treatment failure affects the outcome of these diseases. The eradication rate of triple antibiotic therapy, the worldwide gold standard, is currently less than 80% in most parts of the world. Antibiotic resistance is the main reason for treatment failure, therefore the standard triple regimen is no longer suitable as a first-line treatment for the majority of the world. H. pylori eradication treatment may fail for a number of reasons, including H. pylori strain factors, host factors, environmental factors, and inappropriate treatment.