Treatment of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastroduodenal disease in children : clinical evaluation of antisecretory vs antibacterial therapy

The charts of 54 children diagnosed with antral H. pylori were reviewed, to establish the incidence of gastroduodenal inflammation and compare therapeutic efficacies of antisecretory vs. antibacterial therapy. Histology demonstrated normal mucosa in three cases (6%) and gastric/duodenal inflammation (≥ Whitehead grade 3) in 51 biopsies (94%). 23/43 children (53%) initially responded to H 2 -blockers; however, by 1 relapsed clinically. All of these patients subsequently responded to amoxicillin plus bismuth subsalicylate