Israel Medical Association Journal

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) prevalence varies according to both geographical region and ethnicity. The interplay between these two factors has been poorly studied.

Objectives: To determine the positivity rate of H. pylori infection among Jewish and Arab patients who live in a mixed urban center in Israel.

Methods: Between November 2009 and September 2014, dyspeptic patients referred to a gastroenterology clinic in Lod, Israel, were enrolled in a prospective study. For each patient, clinical and epidemiological data were collected and a noninvasive or endoscopy-based test for H. pylori was performed.

Results: A total of 429 consecutive patients (322 Jewish and 107 Arabs), mean age 45 years (range 15–91 years) were included; 130 males. Overall positivity for H. pylori was 42.4% (182/429). The positivity rate of H. pylori was 38.8% for Jews (125/322) and 53.2% for Arabs (57/107) in Lod (P < 0.01). When immigrants were excluded, the difference in H. pylori positivity did not reach statistical significance (45.0% [77/171] vs. 53.2% [57/107], P = 0.217, in Jews and Arabs, respectively).

Conclusions: H. pylori infection was more common in Arabs that Jews in the mixed city of Lod, Israel. This finding may suggest that non-environmental factors were responsible for the observed difference in H. pylori positivity.

Background: The antibiotic resistance profile of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is constantly changing. Up-to-date and reliable data for the effectiveness of first-line H. pylori treatment protocols are necessary to provide evidence-based best-practice guidelines.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness, compliance and safety of first-line treatment for H. pylori in Israel.

Methods: An observational, prospective, multicenter study was conducted in tertiary referral centers in Israel, as part of the European registry on H. pylori management (Hp-EuReg). H. pylori-infected patients were included from 2013 to March 2020. Data collected included demographics, clinical data, diagnostic tests, previous eradication attempts, current treatment, compliance, adverse events, and treatment outcome result.

Results: In total, 242 patients were registered, including 121 (50%) who received first-line therapy, 41% of these individuals received clarithromycin based triple therapy and 58.9% received a four-drug regimen. The overall effectiveness of first-line therapy was 85% and 86% by modified intention-to-treat and per protocol analyses, respectively. The effectiveness of both sequential and concomitant therapies was 100% while clarithromycin-based triple therapy achieved an eradication rate of 79%. Treatment eradication was higher among patients who received high dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI) compared to those treated with low dose PPI (100% vs. 81.5% respectively, P < 0.01). No difference in treatment effectiveness was found between 7-, 10-, and 14-day treatment.

Conclusions: The effectiveness of clarithromycin-based triple therapy is suboptimal. First-line treatment of H. pylori infection should consist of four drugs, including high dose PPI, according to international guidelines.

Background: Temporal trends in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Arab and Jewish populations in Israel have been poorly described.

Objectives: To compare the annual incidence and prevalence rates of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in the Arab and Jewish populations in Israel between the years 2003 and 2008.

Methods: We applied a common case identification algorithm to the Clalit Health Services database to both determine trends in age-adjusted incidence and prevalence rates for IBD in both populations during this period and estimate the burden of IBD in Israel.

Results: The incidence of CD in the Arab population increased from 3.1/100,000 in 2003 to 10.6/100,000 person-years in 2008, compared with a decrease in the Jewish population from 14.3/100,000 to 11.7/100,000 person-years for the same period. The incidence of UC in the Arab population increased from 4.1/100,000 in 2003 to 5.0/100,000 person-years in 2008, a low but stable rate, compared with a decrease from 16.4/100,000 to 9.5/100,000 person-years for the same time period in the Jewish population. The prevalence of both diseases increased due to the accumulation of incident cases but remained much lower among Arabs.

Conclusions: Understanding the factors underlying the differences in incidence and prevalence of IBD in the Jewish and Arab populations may shed light on the genetic and environmental factors associated with these diseases.