LETTER

Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on precancerous lesions

D Gillen, K E L McColl

Department of Gastroenterology, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor K E L McColl
Department of Gastroenterology, Western Infirmary, 44 Church St, Glasgow G11 6NT, UK; k.e.l.mccoll@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; precancerous lesions; gastric lesions

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We read with interest the paper by Mera and colleagues (Gut 2005;54:1536–40) on the effect of eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection on precancerous gastric lesions. However, we have concern regarding the extent to which the limited data provided in the paper support the authors’ conclusions of regression of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia following H pylori eradication.

The main outcome reported was the average histological score. This is an arbitrary ordinal scale which is based on the presence of superficial gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, or cancer as the most advanced lesion found in the four gastric biopsies performed at each time point. The average score was 3.77 at baseline, and following eradication of the infection decrease to 3.18 after 12 years. The extent to which resolution of the different components of the average histological score contributed to the fall in the score is not made clear . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Long term follow up of patients treated for Helicobacter pylori infection

R Mera, E T H Fontham, L E Bravo, J C Bravo, M B Piazuelo, M C Camargo, and P Correa
Gut 2005 54: 1536-1540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mera, R., Fontham, E. T H, Bravo, L. E, Bravo, J. C, Piazuelo, M. B., Camargo, M. C., Correa, P. (2007). Authors' reply. Gut 56: 436-436 [Full Text]