Triple therapy, combining a proton pump inhibitor with clarithromycin (C) and either amoxycillin (A) or a nitro-imidazole (I) is the standard in Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. Recently, triple therapies based on ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC) have emerged as an alternative. This review examines the current literature for studies directly comparing proton pump inhibitor- with RBC-bas...

BACKGROUND There are few data on empiric, stepped therapy for heartburn relief or subsequent relapse in primary care. AIMS To compare heartburn relief produced by a proton pump inhibitor-start or an H(2)-receptor antagonist-start with step-up therapy, as needed, followed by a treatment-free period to assess relapse. METHODS Heartburn-dominant uninvestigated dyspepsia patients from 46 primar...

UNLABELLED Triple therapy is accepted as the treatment of choice for H. pylori eradication. In industrialized countries, a proton pump inhibitor plus clarithromycin and amoxicillin or nitroimidazole have shown the best results. Our aims were: 1. To study the eradication rate of the association of a proton pump inhibitor plus tinidazole and clarithromycin on H. pylori infection in our population...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the cost effectiveness of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX 2) selective inhibitors and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and the addition of proton pump inhibitors to these treatments, for people with osteoarthritis. DESIGN An economic evaluation using a Markov model and data from a systematic review was conducted. Estimates of cardiovascular and gast...

AIM To evaluate whether eradication of Helicobacter pylori prevents peptic ulcer in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug users by means of a meta-analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and the AGA congress. Randomized trials comparing H. pylori eradication vs. non-eradication or eradication vs. a proton pump...