Efficacy of Concomitant Therapy Versus Triple Therapy in Eradicating Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Retrospective Study

Background <i>Helicobacter pylori</i>is a widespread bacterial infection that is often linked to significant health and economic burdens in affected populations. The rise of antibiotic resistance has reduced the effectiveness of standard triple therapy (TT), highlighting the need for alternative treatment strategies, especially in resource-constrained countries like Pakistan, where comparative research on different <i>H. pylori</i> treatment regimens remains limited. This study aims to compare the efficacy of concomitant therapy (CT) versus TT in the eradication of <i>H. pylori</i> infection. Methods This retrospective study was conducted over a 12-month period (July 2021 to July 2022) in the medicine and gastroenterology departments of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 296 patients diagnosed with <i>H. pylori</i> infection via the urea breath test were enrolled using consecutive sampling, following predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into two groups of 148 each: Group A received CT (esomeprazole, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and metronidazole), and Group B received standard TT (esomeprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), applying independent samples t-tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Among the 296 patients, the overall <i>H. pylori</i> eradication rate was 82.09%. The eradication rate was significantly higher in the CT group (91.90%) compared to the TT group (72.29%) (p = 0.008). In the CT group, age (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.25-1.98; p = 0.03) and duration of symptoms (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.10-1.77; p = 0.02) were significant predictors of successful eradication, while gender (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01-1.32; p = 0.06) was not. In the TT group, age (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.05-1.51; p = 0.06), gender (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.71-1.47; p = 0.07), and duration of symptoms (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.60; p = 0.09) were not significant predictors of eradication. Conclusions This study suggests that CT is more effective than TT in eradicating <i>H. pylori</i> infection. In the CT group, being younger than 45 years and having symptoms for less than six months were significant predictors of treatment success. These findings provide valuable insights into optimal treatment strategies for <i>H. pylori</i> in resource-limited settings and emphasize the need for further research to establish effective eradication protocols.