Introduction: Recurrence is an important problem after Helicobacter pylori infection, and intrafamilial
transmission has an important role in recurrence. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance
of intrafamilial transmission for recurrence development after treatment as well as its usefulness in
prevention.
Materials and methods: Of the 109 patients who had dyspepsia and underwent endoscopy, 74 patients
had H. pylori infection and were enrolled in this study. Infected family members were also detected.
Patients were randomly divided into groups I and II, with each group containing 37 individuals. In
group I, patients and their infected family members were treated together at the same time. In group II,
only the patients were treated. Treatment success was evaluated at the 1st month and evaluation for
recurrence was carried out at the 6th month.
Results: Helicobacter pylori infection was detected in 67.8% of the patients with dyspepsia. Two patients
in each group did not show up at the 1st month control. Eradication was achieved in 63 of the 70 patients
(90.0%) who completed their treatment. After 6 months, patients with successful treatment had no
recurrence in any of the 32 patients in group I. There were recurrence in 3 of the 31 patients (9.7%)
in group II; however, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.113).
Conclusion: Our study showed that eradication treatment in patients and family members with
H. pylori infection resulted in a decrease in the number of recurrences even though it was not statistically
significant.