SMOKING IMPACTS HELICOBACTER PYLORI ERADICATION: RESULTS FROM A BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL.

INTRODUCTION: Helicobacter pylori infection has a high prevalence in Brazil, and eradication therapy is recommended for all diagnosed cases. While smoking has been identified as a factor associated with therapeutic failure, its impact on treatment efficacy has not yet been conclusively demonstrated in studies conducted within the Brazilian population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with Helicobacter pylori eradication failure in patients submitted to empirical 14-day antimicrobial therapy with omeprazole 20 mg BID, amoxicillin 1 g BID, and clarithromycin 500 mg BID at a Brazilian university center. METHODS: An observational and retrospective study was conducted in the Hospital de Clinicas, University of Campinas, Brazil, between April 2022 and September 2023. The study included treatment-naive patients with Helicobacter pylori infection. These patients received PPI-clarithromycin triple therapy and underwent the 13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT) to evaluate eradication. Clinical and demographic variables were analyzed as potential factors associated with therapeutic failure, including age, gender, obesity, diabetes mellitus, anxiety and depression disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, smoking, alcoholism and cirrhosis. RESULTS: A total of 97 patients were included, with a mean age of 55±14 years, 67 (69.1%) female. The antimicrobial treatment achieved 90.7% effectiveness (n=88). Smoking (P=0.0068) was the only factor associated with eradication failure after multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Smoking was the only factor associated with Helicobacter pylori eradication failure, as determined by the 13C-urea breath test.