Bugs, drugs, and dyspepsia in primary care

doi:10.1136/bmjusa.02060002

BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmjusa.02060002, (Published 23 August 2002)

Editorials

Bugs, drugs, and dyspepsia in primary care

The role of "test and treat" has its limits

Papers BMJ USA pp 319, 324

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

This article originally appeared in BMJ USA

Dyspepsia is defined as pain or discomfort centered in the upper abdomen, and it is estimated that 2-6% of patients presentingto family physicians have dyspepsia as their presenting complaint. ¹ ² Two articles in this issue (BMJ USA p 319 and p 324) provide furtherproof that non-invasive testing for Helicobacter pylori, followedby treatment (the "test and treat" strategy) of those who testpositive, is effective in alleviating symptoms, reducing the needfor endoscopic investigations, and decreasing the overall costof managing this commoncondition.

Until recently, the diagnostic test for H pylori recommended for use in primary care was serology. This low-cost test is widelyavailable and is inexpensive, allowing primary care physiciansto perform H pylori testing in their offices. As the prevalenceof H pylori has fallen in developed countries, the predictivevalue of the serologic test for H pylori has . . . [Full text of this article]

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