Since Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication therapy in gastritis patients was covered by health insurance in February 2013, endoscopic findings of black spots in the gastric mucosa have increased. This study was conducted to clarify the relationship between H. pylori eradication and black spots. Subjects were 587 consecutive cases who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy. 82.5% (226/274) of those with black spots were cases of successful eradication, and 71.5% (226/316) of successful H. pylori eradication patients showed black spots ; the differences were significant. Therefore, black spots were likely to be observed in patients with successful H. pylori eradication. Among the 587 cases who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy, only four H. pylori-infected patients before eradication therapy showed black spots. The other cases with black spots were H. pylori-eradicated or H. pylori-uninfected. The mechanism of the generation of black spots is unclear. Although black spots are not mentioned in the Kyoto Classification of Gastritis as a finding in patients after successful eradication, black spots are suggested to be a useful indicator of successful H. pylori eradication.
