Only four days of quadruple therapy can effectively cure Helicobacter pylori infection.

Aim: To determine whether 4 days of quadruple therapy using bismuth, tetracycline and metronidazole combined with omeprazole is effective treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection.

Methods: Non-ulcer dyspepsia, as well as chronic peptic ulcer patients with biopsy-proven H. pylori infection received 4 days of quadruple therapy. They were pretreated with 3 days of omeprazole. At least 5-6 weeks later, endoscopy was repeated with 10 biopsies for urease test, histology and culture to establish cure of infection.

Results: None of the 54 patients included was lost to follow-up but two had a 14C-urea breath test instead of endoscopy. Side-effects did not interfere with compliance. Forty-nine out of 54 patients (91%; 95% CI: 80-97%) were cured. Metronidazole susceptibility data were available from 43 pre-treatment isolates. Of these 38/40 (95%) with a metronidazole-sensitive strain, and one of three with a metronidazole-resistant strain were cured.

Conclusions: Four days of quadruple therapy after omeprazole pre-treatment is a feasible, well tolerated, and effective treatment for H. pylori infection, especially in those carrying a metronidazole-sensitive strain. It seems that in quadruple therapy, cure rate and treatment duration have a non-linear relation. Our results need confirmation, but for patients suffering from side-effects with the 7-day regimen stopping treatment after 4 days is justified.