Abstract
BACKGROUND: There has been a negative trend in the effectiveness of classic eradication therapy regimens for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which has largely been determined from the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. Several studies have shown that adding rebamipide to eradication regimens leads to an increase in the effectiveness of treatment. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of including rebamipide in the eradication regimens for H. pylori infection. METHODS: The literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register, Korean Medical Citation Index, and Russian Science Citation Index databases. All identified randomized controlled trials comparing rebamipide supplementation with non-rebamipide-containing eradication regimens for the treatment of H. pylori infection were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: We identified 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1227 patients (631 in groups with rebamipide and 596 in groups without rebamipide). The meta-analysis showed that the addition of rebamipide to eradication regimens significantly increased the effectiveness of treatment (odds ratio (OR) 1.753, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.312-2.333, p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis demonstrated that rebamipide significantly increased the effectiveness of eradication when added to a dual therapy regimen (OR 1.766, 95% CI: 1.167-2.495, p = 0.006); however, no significant improvement in effectiveness was observed when it was added to the triple therapy regimen (OR 1.638, 95% CI 0.833-3.219, p = 0.152). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrated that the addition of rebamipide to H. pylori eradication regimens significantly increases the effectiveness of treatment.