Background/aims: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori is known to reduce ulcer recurrence in patients with peptic ulcer disease, however, other long-term effects after eradication therapy are not well known. The aim of this study is to examine the long-term effect of H. pylori eradication on clinical symptoms, quality of life, body mass index, newly emerging symptoms, and newly developed diseases.
Methodology: One hundred and ninety-two Japanese patients with peptic ulcer disease who received H. pylori eradication therapy at Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University Hospital between 1993 and 1995 were asked to fill in specially a prepared questionnaire.
Results: One hundred and fourteen patients returned the questionnaires; out of them 98 could be analyzed in this study. Successful eradication (n = 88) resulted in alleviation of symptoms, improvement of quality of life and increase of body mass index while failure of eradication (n = 10) had much less or no effects. A relatively high incidence of hyperlipidemia (25.0%) was observed in patients with successful H. pylori eradication. Development of hyperlipidemia was associated with significant improvement of quality of life especially the item concerning eating and drinking habits but not with increased body mass index. In the elderly, no significant change in body mass index was observed, however, post-eradication body mass index was significantly higher in patients with hyperlipidemia than those without.
Conclusions: Cure of H. pylori infection alleviates symptoms and improves quality of life of treated patients, but might be associated with an increased incidence of hyperlipidemia.