Simvastatin improves the eradication rate of : upper Egypt experience.

infectionis one of the most prevalent chronic bacterial human infections worldwide. colonizes the gastric mucosa and causes persistent gastritis that may progress to gastric cancer. Increased resistance of presents a major problem in most countries. Statins, including simvastatin, which are currently used to treat hypercholesterolemia, appear to have potential synergistic role to antibiotics. This study aimed to assess the value of adding simvastatin as adjuvant to standard triple therapy in patients infected with . This study was conducted on 100 patients diagnosed with by the presence of antigen in stools. All patients were randomly subjected either to the standard triple regimen (clarithromycin 500 mg bid + amoxicillin 1 g bid + omeprazole 20 mg bid) (group 1, N=50) or to the standard triple regimen plus simvastatin (clarithromycin 500 mg bid + amoxicillin 1 g bid + omeprazole 20 mg bid + simvastatin 20 mg bid) (group 2, N=50). Both groups were treated for 14 days and eradication of was assessed by a stool antigen test 4 weeks after therapy. Eradication of infection was significantly higher in patients treated with the standard triple therapy plus simvastatin (n=41, 82%) than in patients treated with the standard triple therapy (n=31, 62%) (<0.022). Simvastatin significantly improves the eradication rate.