Positive Result by Serology Indicates Active Helicobacter pylori Infection in Patients with Atrophic Gastritis

Patients with atrophic corpus gastritis and elevated Helicobacter pylori antibody titers but (13)C-urea breath test ((13)C-UBT) and histology results negative for H. pylori were randomized into eradication therapy or follow-up only. Antibody levels decreased significantly in six out of seven patients in the eradication group, while in the follow-up group, the titers declined in only one out of eight patients. In patients with atrophic corpus gastritis, positive serology results may indicate an ongoing infection in spite of negative (13)C-UBT and histology results.