Introduction
Helicobacter pylori infection increases the risk of gastric cancer and should be treated in young patients.1However, some drugs used to treat H. pylori inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 and appear to induce porphyria, an illness that is often diagnosed in young adults. Porphyria is a potentially life-threatening condition that causes severe abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, confusion, and seizures.2 Not all H. pyloritherapies are contraindicated,2 but the risk ofH. pylori therapy–induced porphyria attacks is not well-understood. No statistical data have been reported regarding the safe use of these drugs. Thus, caution should be used when administering specific drugs because of their porphyria attack–inducing effects.3