In most South American countries, H. pylori infection prevalence is high,
affecting over 70% in populations with precarious living conditions. Due to poor
sanitation and low standards of living conditions, the infection is acquired in early
childhood. Also, it is estimated that gastric cancer, the main clinical sequela of H. pylori
infection, has an average incidence rate of 12.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (8.4 cases
per 100,000 inhabitants for women and 17.3 cases per 100,000 for men) in the
continent. It is worth pointing out that there is initial evidence of a decline in prevalence
of H. pylori infection in some more privileged fragments of the population. The chapter
also review the main methods used to diagnosis H. pylori infection and their results in
South America setting. The management of the infection including anti-H. pylori drugs,
therapeutic regimes, eradication control, bacterial resistance, relapse and reinfection,
and therapy failure is outlined.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori:diagnosis, Helicobacter pylori, treatment and
antimicrobial resistance, Helicobacter pylori: epidemiology, H. pylori and gastric
cancer, Helicobacter pylori, antimicrobial drugs, Helicobacter pylori: South
America, Helicobacter pylori, developing countries.
