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Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, recurrent inflammatory disease affecting skin that bears apocrine glands and is characterised by painful, deep-seated, inflamed lesions. Treatment includes antibiotics, steroids, surgery, and adalimumab as the only approved biological agent. An association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and HS has been reported, but very limited evidence exists on the efficacy of non-anti-TNF biological agents for the treatment of HS in IBD patients. Methods This multicenter case series was performed as part of the Collaborative Network of Exceptionally Rare case reports (CONFER) project by ECCO. Cases of patients with HS and IBD treated with non-anti-TNF biological agents were retrospectively collected through a standardised collection form. Efficacy measures were reported by the local gastroenterologist/dermatologist using physician global assessment (PGA). Results Fifty-five patients (65.5% women, median [IQR] age 40.0 [33.1-47.6] years, 50.9% active smokers) were identified (Table 1), all with HS diagnosis confirmed by a dermatologist. We observed a strong CD predominance (90.9%) in the current cohort. HS affected mainly the inguinal (82.0%) and axillary (76.0%) regions, followed by the anogenital region (46.0%). In 42 patients, HS was diagnosed a median of 10.0 [4.3-16.4] years after the IBD diagnosis, whereas in 13 HS preceded the IBD diagnosis by 4.1 [2.2-5.4] years. Prior to initiating a non-anti-TNF biological agent, all patients had been exposed to at least 1 anti-TNF agent, including (high dose) adalimumab in 83.2% of the cases. In 20% of patients, HS developed while being treated with an anti-TNF agent. After anti-TNF failure (for either IBD and/or HS), physicians opted for ustekinumab (83.6%), vedolizumab (14.5%), or risankizumab (1.8%) as the preferred first non-anti-TNF agent. During ustekinumab treatment (n=46, median time on therapy 2.1 [0.8-3.3] years)), 76.1% showed a clinically relevant HS improvement (including 50.0% complete remission), whereas 23.9% did not experience any benefit. With vedolizumab (n=8), 37.5% experienced some benefit (including 25.0% with complete remission), while 62.5% did not report any improvement. The single patient on risankizumab had complete remission. Finally, 6 out of 8 vedolizumab-treated patients were ultimately treated with ustekinumab, reporting a clinical benefit in 5 out of 6. Conclusion Ustekinumab is the preferred biological agent after anti-TNF failure in IBD patients with concomitant HS. Although placebo-controlled trials are lacking and ustekinumab is not approved for the treatment of HS, the current multi-centre case series demonstrates a substantial benefit in 78.4% of patients.

Background Volatiles organic metabolites (VOMs) are a large group of carbon-bound chemicals elements, gaseous at room temperature that are the products of metabolism. There is increasing evidence that variations in faecal VOMs indicate gastroenterological diseases. No study assessed VOMs in the setting of predicting therapeutic response in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods We conducted a prospective study in which we consecutively recruited IBD patients with indications for treatment with biologics. The primary outcome of our study was the evaluation of prediction ability of VOMs of clinical response at 12 months of adalimumab or vedolizumab therapy. Secondary outcomes included correlations of VOM with clinical features of IBD. Results We recruited 50 patients with IBD whose stools were analysed with gold standard technique mass spectrometer (MS) / gas chromatography (GC). Thirty-one patients were treated with adalimumab (of which 30 Crohn’s disease, and 1 ulcerative colitis, UC), 19 patients with vedolizumab (of which 12 CD and 7 UC). VOMs were not influenced by age, disease duration, sex, smoking habit. Two VOMs, octenol and, in particular, methyl indole were able to distinguish ulcerative colitis (UC) from Crohn’s disease (CD) (AUC = 0.72 and 0.85, respectively) and correlate with higher inflammation markers (C-reactive protein, CRP and calprotectin, respectively). Methylbutanal, instead, was a marker of CD and, in particular, of ileal location (p = 0.01). These results were confirmed at principal component analysis (PCA). Lower levels of ethanol and methyl butanoate correlated with disease remission. Methyl butanoate was able to distinguish remission from active clinical disease, with an accuracy at least equal to that of calprotectin (AUC = 0.69 and AUC = 0.62, respectively). We furthermore demonstrated pre-biologics methyl butyrate prediction ability of clinical response after 12 months of therapy (AUC = 0.68, 95%CI = 0.53-0.81, p = 0.02). Lower levels of methyl indole or of octenol or higher levels of indole were able to predict calprotectin Conclusion The characterization of the intestinal metabolome, using VOMs technology, seems to be a promising method for better characterizing IBD and better speculating on their etiopathogenesis.

Background Prevention of postoperative recurrence (POR) in Crohn’s disease (CD) after ileo-colonic (IC) resection is still a highly debated topic. Prophylactic immunosuppression after surgery is currently recommended in presence of at least one clinical risk factor (RF). Due to drug-related adverse events and the relative high cost of biologics, we aimed to determine whether prevention of POR can be postponed and guided by endoscopy in CD patients with only one RF. Methods A multicentre retrospective study was conducted in 12 IG-IBD Italian centres. CD patients with only one RF for POR, including previous intestinal resection, extensive small intestine resection (>50 cm), fistulising phenotype, history of perianal disease, or active smoking were considered. Patients who performed a colonoscopy between 6 to 12 months after curative IC resection were included. Two groups were formed based on whether immunosuppressive therapy was started immediately after surgery (prophylaxis group) or guided by endoscopy (observation group). Primary endpoints were the rates of any endoscopic recurrence (Rutgeerts ≥i2a) and severe endoscopic recurrence (i4) within 12 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes were clinical recurrence (HBI≥5) rates at 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery. Results A total of 195 patients were enrolled. Out of all, 61 (31.3%) received immunoprophylaxis at a median time of 32 days [IQR 26-55] after surgery (n=14 infliximab, n=37 adalimumab, n=7 azathioprine, n=3 ustekinumab). Baseline patient characteristics are detailed in Table 1. Particularly, risk factors for POR were homogeneously distributed between the 2 groups. Colonoscopy was performed after a median time of 8 months [IQR 6-11]. No differences between immunoprophylaxis and endoscopy-driven approach was found regarding any endoscopic recurrence (36.1% in prophylaxis group vs 45.5% in observation group, p=0.10) and severe endoscopic recurrence (9.8% in prophylaxis group vs 15.7% in observation group, p=0.15). In 32 patients with a second colonoscopy at a median time of 30.5 months [IQR 22-43.75] after surgery, any recurrence and severe recurrence rates were also similar (p=0.55 and p=0.43, respectively). Early clinical recurrence at 6 months was reported in 23.4% of patients on immunoprophylaxis vs 31.5% who were not (p=0.43). Clinical recurrence rates between prophylaxis and observation group were also similar at 12 months (17.9% vs 34.8%, respectively, p=0.09) and at 24 months (17.9% vs 24.1%, respectively, p=0.63). Conclusion In CD patients with only one RF for POR, immediate immunoprophylaxis after curative IC resection does not decrease the rate of early clinical and endoscopic recurrence. Prospective and larger studies are needed to confirm our results.

Background The orally administered small molecule drug pan-Jak inhibitor tofacitinib (TFB) appears to be effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC), however, available real world studies are limited by the cohort size. In addition, TFB may also be efficacious in patients with acute severe colitis (ASUC) as a rescue therapy. We aimed to conduct an international cohort study, to investigate the efficacy and safety of TFB in patients with moderate to severe colitis and ASUC. Methods This was a retrospective, international multi-centre, cohort study including 23 tertiary referral centres. UC patients with at least 6 weeks of TFB treatment were included. Physicians categorized the indication as rescue therapy (RT) and chronic activity (CA). Baseline demographic and clinical data, clinical/endoscopic activity indexes, laboratory parameters (including CRP, faecal calprotectin, liver enzymes, lipids, iron homeostasis), adverse events, and hospitalization/colectomy rates were collected at w0, w2-6, w8-14, w22-30 and w48-56 intervals. Steroid-free remission, colectomy rates, primary non-response (PNR) and loss-of response (LOR) rates, and safety was studied. Results A total of 391 UC patients (mean age: 39.2±14.1 years, male/female ratio 208/183; mean follow-up period 33.7±18.1 weeks) were included. 107 patients (27.4%) received TFB as a rescue therapy. Most of the patients received it as a third line treatment (37.4%). Steroid-free remission (SFR) rates were 21.3% (RT: 25.0%, CA: 22.3%) at w14, and 40.1% (RT: 32.5%, CA: 42.2%) at w52. In total, baseline pMayo (OR: 0.856; p=0.007) was negatively associated with w12 SFR, while line of treatment (OR: 0.749; p=0.047) and age (OR: 1.022; p=0.038) influenced the w52 SFR in the CA group. The w12 colectomy rate was 5.1%, and no difference was observed between groups (RT: 8.5%; CA: 3.8%), however, w52 colectomy rate was higher in the RT group (19.2% compared to 5.9%; p Conclusion TFB is effective in both moderate to severe UC, and in patients with ASUC as a rescue therapy. TFB treatment resulted in high rates of SFR and mucosal healing in short- and long term even after anti-TNF and vedolizumab failure. Higher baseline disease activity and number of previous biological therapies negatively influenced efficacy. Serious adverse events were rare.

Background There are limited data available on the course of IBD in patients with solid organ transplantation. The aim of this ECCO CONFER study was to evaluate the trend of IBD before and after solid organ transplantation but liver. Methods This was a retrospective observational multicentre study that collected cases through the CONFER project. Patients with an established IBD diagnosis who underwent a solid organ transplantation (with the exception of liver) were eligible candidates. Results 33 patients with solid organ transplantation (67% male; 55% CD) were collected from 12 referral centres in five different countries. Mean age was 53 ± 16 years. 34 organs were transplanted in 33 patients. Most of the patients underwent kidney transplantation (n=27, 82%). 4 (12%) received a heart and 1 (3%) underwent lung transplantation; 1 (3%) underwent a combined heart and kidney transplant. The mean duration of IBD was 18.4 ± 14.7 months. Clinical characteristics are summarized in Table 1. The median follow-up after transplantation was 4.3 years (IQR 3.25 – 10.7). 7/33 patients (21.2%) experienced organ rejection, with 1 kidney retransplant. Regarding immunosuppressive therapy, 29/33 patients (88%) were treated with tacrolimus, 25 (76%) with systemic steroids, 22 (67%) with mycophenolate mofetil, 11 (33%) with everolimus, 6 with cyclosporine (18%), 3 (9%) with thiopurines. Regarding biologics, 1 patient was treated with infliximab, 2 with adalimumab, 2 with vedolizumab, 1 with ustekinumab. Defining a severe IBD course the need for biologic therapy or bowel resection or hospitalization, 4 patients (11.7%) had a severe disease course after transplantation versus 3 patients (9.3%) in the first 51 months of disease before transplantation (p = 0.26). Univariate analysis is reported in Table 2. 1 case of low-grade dysplasia was found 10 years after the transplantation. 1 case of colorectal cancer was found in a patient affected by CD five years after kidney transplantation. The other cases of tumours after transplantation are reported in Table 3. The first serious infectious episode after transplantation is shown in Table 4: 17 of 33 patients (51.5%) reported at least 1 episode of serious infection. In total 29 different serious infectious episodes after transplantation were recorded, compared to 28 episodes in the pre-transplantation period. At the last follow-up visit, 6/33 (18.2%) patients had died: 1 due to cholangiocarcinoma, 1 amyloidosis, 1 heart failure, 1 myocardial infection (2 not available). Conclusion Solid organ transplantation appears to have a satisfactory course for both the transplanted organ and IBD, in terms of organ survival and IBD severity; furthermore, the use of biologics in these patients does not appear to be linked to a worse outcome.

Background In the last year, the severe adult respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic has spread rapidly around the world. The interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are so far not fully understood. In particular, no studies evaluated the potential role of SARS-CoV-2 on IBD course. Indeed, it is known that viral infections can be act as triggers for IBD flare and it is reasonable that the possible drug discontinuation during SARS-CoV-2 infection could in turn lead to an IBD flare. Methods This was a prospective, observational case-control study. From March 11th 2020 to June 30th 2020 we enrolled IBD patients with proven SARS-Cov-2 infection (“cases”) and IBD patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection matched for sex, age, diagnosis, therapy and clinical activity (“controls”). Cases and controls were followed-up at least for 6 months. Differences between case and control group were tested for significance using the Student’s t test and Fisher’s test, as appropriate. A two-tailed p value < 0.05 was indicative of statistical significance. Results 219 IBD patients (127 UC, 58.0%) with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 219 IBD patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled. Table 1 shows baseline features of the population. Among the 122 cases in clinical remission at the time of viral infection, 28 (22.9%) showed a disease flare; this percentage was significantly higher than that observed in controls: 12/137 (8.8%)(p=0.0018). Among patients with disease flare, there were no significant differences between cases and controls group in terms of age (42.3 ± 16.0 vs. 43.1 ± 15.4 years, p=0.44), gender (female 45.7% vs. 48.2%, p= 0.54), use of biologic therapies (p=0.83) and UC or CD diagnosis (p=0.06). Biologic therapy was temporary withdrawn more significantly in cases than in controls (68/202, 33.6% vs. 14/204, 6.9%) (p Conclusion IBD patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection have an increased risk to have a clinical recurrence in short-term in comparison with IBD patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection. This increased risk could be due to the viral infection and/or to the temporary discontinuation of biologic therapies, because of infection.

Background Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is an uncommon inflammatory disorder that may accompany inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The clinical relevance of AIP-IBD coexistence, therapeutic strategies, and long-term outcomes are scarcely known. Methods In this ECCO COllaborative Network For Exceptionally Rare case reports project (ECCO-CONFER) we included cases of AIP diagnosed in patients with IBD. Data on the diagnostic criteria, clinical characteristics, and patient outcomes were retrospectively collected and analysed. Results The cohort included 82 patients [54% males, 77% with ulcerative colitis (UC), age at IBD and AIP diagnosis 32±16 and 35±16 years, respectively]. Of all AIP patients, 71% were classified as type 2, 21% as type 1, and 8% as undefined type. Detailed characteristics of the study group are shown in Table 1. In 57% of the individuals, IBD was diagnosed before AIP. In the remaining cases, IBD was diagnosed simultaneously (20%) or afterwards (23%). Half of the patients required immunomodulators and 43% biological therapy to control their IBD. Twenty-two percent of UC and 6% of Crohn’s disease (CD) required surgical intervention during a mean follow-up of 3.6±3.4 years. Histological confirmation was used in 38% of cases, while the remaining were diagnosed as probable AIP based on clinical, biochemical, and radiologic criteria. Magnetic resonance was the most frequently used imaging modality (61%). Eighty percent of patients received steroids for AIP. Thiopurines were used for AIP in 16 (19%) patients, 81% of them responded to treatment. One patient was successfully treated for AIP with infliximab. AIP complications occurred in 27%, including pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (19%) and diabetes (13%). Five patients underwent surgery due to suspected pancreatic cancer. Patients with complicated AIP were significantly older at AIP and IBD diagnosis, were more frequently males and presented with weight loss at AIP diagnosis, and had less frequently a family history of IBD (Table 1). Colonic IBD (i.e. UC, isolated colonic IBD-unclassified or colonic CD) was seen in a higher proportion of individuals with complicated vs benign AIP course (91% vs 33%, p Conclusion In this large international cohort of patients with concomitant AIP-IBD, most patients have type 2 AIP and colonic IBD. AIP course is relatively benign, and long-term outcomes are favourable. Older age, male gender, isolated colonic IBD location, and weight loss at AIP presentation were seen in higher proportions of patients with a complicated course of AIP.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), had two pandemic waves in 2020, respectively in April and November. In the general population, the first wave has been characterized by a higher prevalence in Northern Italy and a higher mortality rate compared to the second one. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of IBD patients and negative outcomes of COVID-19 (pneumonia, hospitalization, ventilatory support, death) between the two pandemic waves in Italy. Methods Prospective observational cohort study. Patients with diagnosis of IBD and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled. Differences between first and second wave were tested for significance using the Student’s t test and Fisher’s test, as appropriate. A two-tailed p value Results We enrolled 937 IBD patients from 47 participating IBD centres across Italy (219 in the first wave, 718 in the second wave). There were no significant differences between the first and the second wave in terms of age (46.3 ± 16.0 vs. 44.1 ± 15.5 years, p=0.06) and gender (female 45.7% vs. 48.2%, p= 0.54). In the first wave, a lower percentage of patients was affected by Crohn’s disease (CD): 92 (42.0%) vs. 399 (55.6%) (p Conclusion IBD patients had higher number of COVID-19 negative outcomes in the first wave than in second wave. In the first wave, a significantly higher percentage of patients were from Northern Italy, but no significant differences in negative outcomes were observed in comparison with those from Central- Southern Italy. Overall, findings in IBD population are coherent with those observed in the general population.

Background:the close relationship between joints and gut inflammation has long been known and several data suggest that the dysbiosis could represents the link between Spondyloarthritis (SpA) and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). To date, the manipulation of the intestinal microbiota is considered the key to the cure or control of the natural history of several pathologies sustained or favored by dysbiosis. The introduction of biologic drugs, in particular Tumor Necrosis Factor inhibitors (TNFi), revolutionized the management of both these diseases, thanks to the strong inhibition of inflammation and partially indirectly with mechanisms not yet fully clarified. While the impact of conventional drugs on gut microbiota is well known poor data are available about TNFi.Objectives:to investigate the impact of TNFi on gut microbiota.Methods:we included CD or UC patients fulfilling criteria for axial or peripheral SpA (ASAS 2009) on a typical Mediterranean diet, naïve to biologics needing TNFi. Clinical history, physical examination, instrumental examinations, biochemical examination including C-reactive protein (CRP), erhytrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), HLA-B27 and fecal calprotectin at the baseline and after 6 months were performed. TNFi included infliximab and adalimumab. Fecal samples were collected by patients themselves by 24 hours before the start of the therapy. The processing was performed through metagenomic NGS (next generation sequencing) including the amplification of the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S (V3 and V4) and sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. All patients received the treatment at least until week 24. Clinical disease indices included Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)-pain and Visual Analgue Scale(VAS)-disease activity for all patients, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) for axial involvement, clinical disease activity index (CDAI) and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) for peripheral involvement, Harvey-Bradshaw Index for CD (HBI), or partial Mayo (pMAYO) score for UC, were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study. The study was approved by the ethics committee (approval code 0056924).Results:we evaluated 20 patients affected by enteropatic arthritis, naïve for biologic drugs, treated with TNFi. After six months of therapy we observed a significant increase in Lachnospiracae family (Δ +10.3, p 0.04) and in Coprococcus genus (Δ +2.8, p 0.003). We also observed a decrease trend in Proteobacteria (Δ -8.0 p 0.095) and Gammaproteobacteria (Δ -9, p 0.093) and an increase trend in Clostridia (Δ +8.2 p 0.083). We didn’t find differences between TNFi responders (SpA improvement or IBD remission achieved) and not responders in terms of alpha and beta-diversity.Conclusion:the decrease of Proteobacteria and the increase of Lachnospiraceae and Coprococcus is consistent with the hypothesis that TNFi therapy, by decreasing inflammation, tends to restore the intestinal eubiosis. However further studies on larger cohort incuding the evaluation of gut virota and micobiota will be necessary to definitively clarify the effects of TNFi on the composition and function of the gut microbiota.References:[1]Bazin T et al. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):5446.[2]Aden K et al. Gastroenterology. 2019;157(5):1279-1292.e11.Table 1.Comparison between clinical variables between baseline and T6 (six months)Clinical variablesT0T6P_valueFecal Calprotectin(μg/g)- median (IQR)207.5(125.5-446.2)81(50-197.2)0.004CRP(mg/L)- median(IQR)8.2(4.8-20.8)2.9(1-4)0.001ESR(mm/h)- median(IQR)21.5(10.8-34)11(7.8-21)0.003VAS_pain- median(IQR)50(38.8-60)35(10-42.5)0.001VAS_disease- median(IQR)50(38.8-50)37.5(25-42.5)0.006HAQ- mediana(IQR)0.6(0.1-0.8)0.2(0.1-0.6)0.004BASDAI_score- median(IQR)5.2(4.1-5.6)2.8(2.5-4.3)0.013CDAI_activity- median(IQR)13(10.5-16)7(5.2-11)0.004IBD activity n(%) - 011 (55%)20 (100%)0.174IBD activity n(%) - 16 (30%)0 (0%)IBD activity n(%) - 22 (10%)0 (0%)IBD activity n(%) - 31 (5%)0 (0%)Disclosure of Interests:None declared.

Background The most commonly recognized clinical feature of hypogammaglobulinemia is recurrent infections with high prevalence of gastrointestinal manifestations. In some cases, clinical and endoscopic features are indistinguishable from those of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods This was a multicenter case series performed as a part of the Collaborative Network of Exceptionally Rare case reports (CONFER) project. Results This report includes 25 patients with primary hypogammaglobinemia and IBD-like features [20 males and 5 females, mean age 50 years (±21.7 SD)]. Crohn’s disease-like features were noted in 22 patients, three patients had ulcerative colitis-like features. The diagnosis of hypogammaglobulinemia preceded IBD-like features diagnosis in 20 patients (mean of 7.7 years prior, range 0.3–35 years), and followed IBD-like features appearance in 5 cases (mean of one year after, 0.4- 9.1 years). Hypogammaglobinemia etiologies were common variable immunodeficiency (72%), Agammaglobulinemia (8%), selective IgA-deficiency (8%), Goods syndrome (8%), IgG subclass deficiency with IgA deficiency (4%). In addition to antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as a treatment for hypogammaglobinemia, fifteen patients received IBD treatment during the follow-up period, of whom two were on 5-aminosalicylic acid, five on corticosteroids, three on immunomodulatory, four on anti-tumor necrosis factor, and one on vedolizumab. By the end of the follow-up [35.5 months (Interquartile range 18–75)], 20 of 25 (80%) patients were in clinical remission. Conclusion This case series illustrates a strong male and CD-like features predilection. The diagnosis of IBD-like features mainly occurs after that of hypogammaglobulinemia, the majority of cases successfully recovered after appropriate treatment.

Functional dyspepsia, though benign, leads to deterioration of the quality of life and high costs for healthcare systems. The optimal therapy for functional dyspepsia is still to be defined because of its multifactorial pathogenesis. In an open multicentric study of patients with functional dyspepsia, we prospectively evaluated the benefit of treatment with a food supplement composed of sodium alginate, carbonate calcium, pineapple, papaya, ginger, α-galactosidase and fennel (Perdiges, Bioten Snc, Turin, Italy).Ninety-one consecutive patients were included, suffering from functional dyspepsia, who had been previously submitted to therapy to eradicate the infection from Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and were waiting to perform the Urea Breath Test (UBT). The primary goal was to establish the percentage of patients who continued to abstain from proton pump inhibitors (PPI) as they waited to carry out the UBT, differentiating between patients who were treated (N.=55) with Perdiges and those who were not (N.=36). Our secondary goal was to document the differences within the 2 groups in terms of symptoms perceived between the start and end of the observation period. The wellness reported, during or in absence of treatment with Perdiges, was evaluated by the use of the VAS scale (Visual Analogical Scale) completed before the start of the treatment and after 30 days.All the patients treated with Perdiges (55/55, 100%) and 31/36 (86.1%) patients who were not (P=0.008) continued to abstain from PPI in the period awaiting the UBT. The VAS scale of those who took Perdiges improved on average by 1.78 points versus a worsening of 0.08 points of those who did not take it (P0.0001). Furthermore, while among those who took Perdiges there was a statistically significant improvement (P0.0001) in the VAS scale, between the baseline and the end of treatment, a worsening of 0.08 points (P=0.78) was noticed among the patients who did not take it.Perdiges is significantly effective in the period following treatment to eradicate the infection from H. pylori in patients with functional dyspepsia. This allows to reduce the need to use antisecretive drugs. Further randomised studies, with wide ranging case histories, must assess its long-term efficacy.