EFFICACY OF PROBIOTICS IN HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION THERAPY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacillus that selectively colonizes the gastric epithelium. In most people, the infection is asymptomatic. However, it is considered the main cause of active chronic gastritis and plays an important role in peptic ulcer, as well as in the genesis of gastric adenocarcinoma and Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) lymphoma. The aim of this systematic review study is to check the efcacy of probiotics in the H. pylori eradication therapy and a decrease in the treatment adverse effects. The most relevant studies in the MedLine databases via PubMed were reviewed, and only clinical trials in English were considered. The search strategy used the following combinations of keywords: (“Helicobacter pylori” OR “H. pylori”) AND probiotics. The following terms were used to identify the study designs: Clinical Trial, English. Ten articles were included in the scope of this review, showing controversies in the outcomes regarding the use of probiotics in the H. pylori eradication therapy, but with good efcacy in decreasing adverse symptoms. It can be concluded that there is still a lack of consistent scientic evidence for the use of probiotics in the H. pylori eradication therapy. However, the reviewed studies showed an improvement in the eradication rate when probiotics were combined with the therapy and a decrease in the treatment adverse effects