Belgian consensus for Helicobacter pylori management 2023

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Although H. pylori prevalence is decreasing worldwide, regional variations exist in Europe, with the lowest infection prevalence in Northern Europe, and the highest in Eastern and Southern Europe (1). Changes in the treatment recommendations and the increasing available evidence have justified the implementation of new recommendations since last Belgian consensus in 1998 (2). Several non-H. pylori Helicobacter species (NH.PYLORI-H), colonizing the stomach of domestic animals, also have the ability to cause gastric disease in humans, although to a lesser extent. These zoonotic NH. PYLORIH are not the subject of the current recommendations.