Long-term quality of life outcome after treatment for Helicobacter pylori gastric infection

Helicobacter pylori has been associated with a number of upper gastrointestinal diseases. Treatment directed toward H. pylori promotes ulcer healing and decreases ulcer recurrence. This study reports a longer-term quality of life follow-up in a group of patients treated for H. pylori. Thirty patients who were treated for upper gastrointestinal symptoms at least 2 years (median 32 months) prior to the initiation of this study had the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale questionnaire mailed to them. 19 patients responded. This scale measures abdominal pain, heartburn, acid regurgitation, sucking sensations in the upper abdomen, nausea and vomiting, borborygmus, abdominal distention, and belching. Three groups of patients were studied: symptomatic patients without H. pylori infection, symptomatic patients with H. pylori infection and successful eradication, and symptomatic patients with H. pylori infections without eradication. The median symptom scores for each group were no more than 1.5. However, there were no statistically significant differences among these three groups in any of the eight items measured by the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale. The sample size of this study was sufficient to detect a difference between groups of 1.6. Patients treated for H. pylori have no to occasional upper gastrointestinal symptoms in more than 2 years' follow-up. There appears to be no difference in patients treated for the infection and those without the infection.