Treatment of Peptic Ulcers Caused by Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Research on the pathogenesis and treatment of peptic ulcer disease is yielding surprising discoveries that will change the medical approach to ulcer therapy. Among the most surprising is the fact that peptic ulcer disease is often a curable infectious disorder.We now recognize three major causes of peptic ulcer disease: Helicobacter pylori infection, the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and pathologic hypersecretory states such as the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome¹. Although the mechanisms of ulcer formation by H. pylori remain obscure, the results of the trial reported by Hentschel et al. in this issue of the Journal² and also those . . .