PEPTIC-ULCER DISEASE AND HELICOBACTER-PYLORI INFECTION

Two important serologic studies from China and Wales have shown a significant association between Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer; and in Finland and Colombia the intestinal type of gastric carcinoma has been associated with H. pylori early in life. Anti-H. pylori therapy traditionally consists of bismuth and antibiotics, but recently, clinical studies of acid-reducing drugs plus antibiotics have shown significant eradication rates of H. pylori. An animal model showed a fivefold increase of antibiotic concentration at pH 5.0 compared with pH 2.0. An immunoblotting study indicated that the 120-kD protein of H. pylori may be significant for peptic ulceration.