| [ Summary ] |
Decreasing prevalence and the wide‒spread eradication therapy of Helicobacter pylor (H. pylori) will increase the number of H. pylori negative cases in Japan. H. pylori negative cases are composed of heterogeneous groups, including un‒infected, eradicated, as well as autoimmune gastritis cases. Theoretically, these cases show negative results in any H. pylori diagnostic methods, but in reality, false‒negative or false‒positive results should be treated with caution. Combining endoscopic findings and laboratory testing such as pepsinogen and gastrin testing will lead to an accurate diagnosis. These H. pylori negative cases have independent risks for specific malignancies ; thus, differentiating the heterogeneous H. pylori negative cases would be important for establishing a disease‒specific surveillance program. |