BACKGROUND AND AIM Although several meta-analyses suggested that sequential therapy (SQT) is superior to standard triple therapy (STT) for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori, these results were mainly based on the studies from Italy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of 10-day SQT for H. pylori infection compared with STT in Asian adults.

METHODS We performed an electronic search of the Cochrane Library, Medline, and Embase up to April 21, 2013, with no language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials comparing 10-day SQT with STT for H. pylori eradication in Asian adults were included in this analysis. The primary outcome measures were the risk ratios (RRs) for successful eradication of H. pylori based on intention to treat comparing SQT with STT. The secondary outcome measures were the RRs for side effects.

RESULTS Seventeen randomized controlled trials with a total of 3419 participants (1591 for SQT and 1828 for STT) met the inclusion criteria. The eradication rate was 81.8% (95% CI: 78.9-84.6) for SQT and 74.3% (95% CI: 69.6-78.8) for SST, respectively. The pooled RR was 1.10 (95% CI: 1.04-1.16, P = 0.0005), which demonstrated significant superiority of SQT over STT, and the number needed to treat was 14 (95% CI: 9-29). There were no significant differences between SQT and STT in the risk of side effects (the pooled RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.87-1.10, P = 0.73).

CONCLUSION Ten-day SQT appears to be superior to STT for H. pylori eradication in Asian adults. However, the pooled efficacy is lower than results from earlier European studies.