Research shows decline in hospitalizations for peptic ulcer disease, H. pylori infection

Hospitalization rates for peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and Helicobacter pylori infection have decreased substantially since 1998, according to an analysis in the September issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, as reported by HealthDay News.

To determine whether PUD hospitalizations have decreased since antimicrobial drugs to eradicate H. pylori became available, Lydia B. Feinstein, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to analyze hospitalizations from 1998 to 2005 for PUD and, secondarily, H. pylori infection.

The PUD hospitalization rate decreased from 71.1 per 100,000 in 1998 to 56.5 per 100,000 in 2005. Over the time span, the researchers found that the PUD hospitalization rate was highest for people aged 65 years and older (299.8 per 100,000) and was higher for men than women. Among racial/ethnic groups, the rate was lowest for whites, and fell for all groups except Hispanics. Meanwhile, the hospitalization rate for H. pylori infection decreased from 35.9 to 19.2 per 100,000 during the same period.

“The decline in the PUD hospitalization rate may be attributable to a birth cohort effect with subsequent declines in H. pylori infection prevalence and increased use of successful antibiotic treatments to eradicate H. pylori infections,” the authors wrote. “Other factors possibly contributed to the decline in PUD hospitalizations observed in this study, including trends in use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the availability of over-the-counter H₂ antagonists and proton pump inhibitors.”