Therapy and Diagnostic Tests Used for Helicobacter pylori Infection in the Scandinavian Countries in 1998

Background: We wanted to ascertain how Helicobacter pylori infection is managed in Scandinavia. Methods: A one-page questionnaire with seven questions was mailed in April 1998 to 1718 gastro-enterologists in Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (excluding Swedish surgeons). Results: The questionnaire was returned by 36%. Antimicrobials were used by 99% for peptic ulcer associated with H. pylori, by 67% for mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, by 27% before long-term therapy with a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI), by 16% for non-ulcer dyspepsia, by 11% for reflux disease, and by 11% for other indications. In Finland several conditions other than ulcer were treated more frequently than in the other countries. The commonest primary therapy is PPI triple therapy (94%), followed by bismuth-based (11%), 'other' (2%), and PPI dual therapy (0.2%). Primary bismuth-based therapy was almost completely limited to Norway. The commonest secondary therapy for failures was also PPI triple therapy (71%), followed by bi...