The coordinator of the GOES research group, Dr. Ignasi Puig, has led, together with the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo and the Hospital Universitario de La Princesa de Madrid, a study that analyses the methods used in different European countries to diagnose Helicobacter pylori infection. The study’s results, entitled Helicobacter pylori Diagnostic Tests Used in Europe: Results of over 34,000 Patients from the European Registry on Helicobacter pylori Management, have been published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Medicine and are available here.
A total of 34,920 patients from 20 countries included in the European Registry on Helicobacter pylori Management (Hp-EuReg) were analysed for the study. Data collected from June 2013 to April 2021 were reviewed.
The research indicates that to establish the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection, invasive tests – using upper endoscopy – were performed in 71% of cases, non-invasive tests in 41% and both methods in 12%. Clinical practice guidelines recommend using an invasive method in patients over 50 to rule out malignant lesions. Depending on the country, the use of invasive methods varies from 29% to 99% of cases in patients under 50 years of age and from 60% to 99% in those over 50.
Therefore, from the results of this study, it can be concluded that there is significant heterogeneity in the use of diagnostic methods in Europe, especially for the initial diagnosis of infection. The reasons for this apparent lack of adherence to clinical practice guideline recommendations should be investigated in further research.
More articles linked to Hp-EuReg
The research is based on the European Registry on the Management of Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp-EuReg), which currently includes over 70,000 patients from 38 European countries. This project allows for continuous assessment of the current clinical practice on Helicobacter pylori infection by European gastroenterologists, the uptake of clinical recommendations agreed upon by the scientific community, and the design of strategies for improvement.
Linked to this Registry, seven more articles have been published during 2023 in high-impact factor journals with Dr. Puig or Anna Cano, GOES Technical Project Manager, among the authors. You can consult them here.
