New Guidelines for the Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection.

The European Helicobacter Study Group has issued updated Guidelines, the Maastricht IV

/ Florence Consensus Report. The article has just been published in Gut 2012;61:646-664.

Some important conclusions and summaries can be found in the article.

MANAGEMENT OF H PYLORI INFECTION

The UBT using essentially ¹³C urea remains the best test to diagnose H pylori infection, has a high accuracy and is easy to perform.

TEST-AND-TREAT STRATEGY

Statement 1: A test-and-treat strategy is appropriate for uninvestigated dyspepsia in populations where the H pylori prevalence is high (>20 %).

PREVENTION OF GASTRIC CANCER AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS

Statement 9: There is strong evidence that H pylori eradication reduces the risk of gastric cancer development.

Statement 13: A screen-and-treat strategy of H pylori should be explored in communities with a significant burden of gastric cancer.

Statement 17: H pylori eradication to prevent gastric cancer should be undertaken in populations at high risk.

SUMMARY

“Quality of life can be significantly improved through accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment”