Testing for Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7320.1066

BMJ 2001;323:1066 ( 3 November )

Letters

Testing for Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients

Did paper have statistical discrepancies?

Authors' suggestion muddies waters in debate

Authors' strategy would leave many patients with ulcer uncured

Clinical importance of predictive values is dubious

Authors' reply

Did paper have statistical discrepancies?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ I am confused by Weijnen et al's description of the statistical methods used in their study and how they fit with thedata presented.¹ The methods section states that all variablesfound to be univariate predictors of peptic ulcer with P<0.25were entered in the multivariate regression model. However, theresults section says that age was included in the model, althoughtable 2 shows that it was not predictive (P=0.67).

Table 2 also shows that P=0.24 for both hiatal hernia and pain after meal, so these should have been included in the multivariatemodel, but neither of them was. Are these discrepancies due toa typing mistake, or is there anotherexplanation?

Adam Jacobs, director.
Dianthus Medical, London SW19 3TZ ajacobs@dianthus.co.uk

1.	Weijnen CF, Numans ME, de Wit NJ, Smout AJPM, Moons KGM, Verheij TJM, et al. Testing for Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients suspected of peptic ulcer disease in primary care: cross sectional study. BMJ 2001; 323: 71-75[Abstract/Free Full Text]. (14 July.)

Authors' suggestion muddies waters in debate

EDITOR $---$ Weijnen et al suggest that we should test and treat patients at high risk of peptic ulceration.¹ This seems to muddythe waters in the debate about testing for Helicobacter pyloriinfection in primary care. Of . . . [Full text of this article]

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Testing for Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients suspected of peptic ulcer disease in primary care: cross sectional study: Catherine F Weijnen, Mattijs E Numans, Niek J de Wit, André J P M Smout, Karel G M Moons, Theo J M Verheij, and Arno W Hoes
BMJ 2001 323: 71-75. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]