About 50% of the world’s population is infected with Helicobacter pylori. These gastric bacteria can cause chronic inflammation and have been associated with development of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Eradication of H. pylori can promote gastric healing, prevent recurrence of duodenal and gastric ulcers, and reduce the incidence of gastric cancer. Guidelines for treatment of H. pylori infection were updated recently.

Influenza is generally a self-limited illness, but complications including pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death can occur, especially in persons at increased risk (see Table 1).

Initial treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) depends on the severity of symptoms and whether they are intermittent or persistent (see Table 1).