Effect of Pharmaceutical Care on Diagnosis Based on Assessment of 13C-urea Breath Test for Helicobacter pylori Infection

The urea breath test (UBT) is used widely for assessment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication after treatment. A false-negative UBT is common during administration of anti-ulcer drugs and immediately after their discontinuation. It was thought that the pharmaceutical care by the pharmacists was necessary for the diagnostic accuracy of UBT after H. pylori eradication therapy. Therefore, we investigated the effect of pharmaceutical care on diagnosis based on assessment of UBT. The patients who performed UBT were classified into two groups according to the pharmacists' intervention. From 2008 April to 2009 September, the number of the patients taken pharmaceutical care was 57 (intervention group) and that of the patients taken no pharmaceutical care was 62 (control group). When drugs for H. pylori infection and anamnestic therapy were same, the percentage that avoided administration of double drugs was significantly increased by the pharmaceutical care (93.3% in intervention group versus 21.4% in control group, p<0.05). Therefore, the percentage of noncompliance that performed UBT 4 weeks after treatment onward was significantly decreased by the pharmaceutical care (1.6% in intervention group versus 17.5% in control group, p<0.05). Moreover, the percentage of recurrence after treatment was significantly decreased, there were 3.3% in the intervention group and 14.0% in the control group. In conclusion, it was very important that the pharmacists take care in the management of treatment and UBT for H. pylori eradication therapy.