Search

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is a WHO class I carcinogen also associated with nonmalignant gastrointestinal diseases. Effective treatment exists, and all persons infected with H pylori should receive treatment. However, data regarding the rates of treatment prescription in clinical practice are lacking.OBJECTIVE: To determine the rates of H pylori treatment in usual practice.METHODS: Patients with histological evidence of H pylori infection between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Toronto, Ontario) were identified. Charts were reviewed to determine the rates of H pylori treatment and confirmation of eradication, when indicated. Questionnaires were subsequently sent to endoscopists of patients identified as not having received treatment to determine the reasons for lack of treatment.RESULTS: A total of 102 patients were H pylori positive and were appropriate candidates for treatment, of whom 58 (57%) were male and 78 (76%) were outpatients, with 92 (90%) receiving eradication therapy. When indicated, 15 of 22 (68%) patients received confirmation of eradication, 13 of 18 (72%) patients underwent repeat endoscopy and 86% received complete therapy. Outpatients were more likely to receive eradication therapy (OR 10.3 [95% CI 2.6 to 40.4]; P=0.001) and complete therapy (OR 13.2 [95% CI 3.8 to 45.7]; P=0.0001) compared with inpatients. Having a follow-up appointment resulted in higher treatment rates (OR 12.0 [95% CI 3.0 to 47.5]; P=0.001).CONCLUSION: During the time period studied, adequate rates of H pylori treatment were achieved in outpatients and patients who had formal follow-up at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. However, some aspects of care remain suboptimal including treatment of inpatients and care following treatment. Additional studies are required to identify strategies to improve the care of patients infected with H pylori.

In North America and the United Kingdom, we are in the age of self-management. Many patients with chronic diseases are ready to participate in the therapeutic decision-making process, and join their physicians in a co-management model. It is particularly useful to consider this concept at a time when physician shortages and waiting times are on the front page every day, with no immediate prospect of relief. Conditions such as diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recurrent urinary tract infections and others lend themselves to this paradigm of medical care for the informed patient. The present paper reviews some of the literature on self-management for the patient with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and provides a framework for the use of self-management in the IBD population, with emphasis on the concept of a patient passport, and the use of e-mail, supported by an e-mail contract, as proposed by the Canadian Medical Protective Association. Examples of specific management strategies are provided for several different IBD scenarios. Eliminating the need for some office visits has clear environmental and economical benefits. Potential negative consequences of this form of patient care are also discussed.

Three cases of coexisting ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are presented. In the first case, the patient had a long-standing history of ulcerative proctitis before developing Crohn’s colitis. In the two remaining cases, the patients presented initially with Crohn’s disease of the ileum and, subsequent to resection, developed ulcerative colitis. Well-documented cases of patients diagnosed with both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are rare. The literature on such cases is reviewed, and the controversy over whether ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are two distinct diseases is explored.