H. Pylori | Helicobacter Pylori Infections

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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria that causes infection in the stomach. It is the main cause of peptic ulcers, and it can also cause gastritis and stomach cancer.

About 30 to 40% of people in the United States get an H. pylori infection. Most people get it as a child. H. pylori usually does not cause symptoms. But it can break down the inner protective coating in some people’s stomachs and cause inflammation. This can lead to gastritis or a peptic ulcer.

Researchers aren’t sure how H. pylori spreads. They think that it may spread by unclean food and water, or through contact with an infected person’s saliva and other body fluids.

A peptic ulcer causes a dull or burning pain in your stomach, especially when you have an empty stomach. It lasts for minutes to hours, and it may come and go for several days or weeks. It may also cause other symptoms, such as bloating, nausea, and weight loss. If you have the symptoms of a peptic ulcer, your health care provider will check to see whether you have H. pylori. There are blood, breath, and stool tests to check for H. pylori. In some cases, you may need an upper endoscopy, often with a biopsy.

If you do have a peptic ulcer, the treatment is with a combination of antibiotics and acid-reducing medicines. You will need to be tested again after treatment to make sure the infection is gone.

There is no vaccine for H. pylori. Since H. pylori might spread through unclean food and water, you might be able to prevent it if you:

• Wash your hands after using the bathroom and before eating
• Eat properly prepared food
• Drink water from a clean, safe source

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Helicobacter pylori

  (Nemours Foundation)

• Gastritis and Gastropathy

  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

  Also in Spanish

• Definition and Facts for Peptic Ulcers (Stomach Ulcers)

  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

  Also in Spanish

• Helicobacter pylori and Cancer

  (National Cancer Institute)

  Also in Spanish

• ClinicalTrials. gov: Helicobacter Infections

  (National Institutes of Health)

• Article: Safety and effectiveness of vonoprazan-based rescue therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection.

• Article: EFFECT OF PHARMACIST COUNSELING ON PATIENT MEDICATION COMPLIANCE AND HELICOBACTER PYLORI…

• Article: Nigella sativa powder for helicobacter pylori infected patients: a randomized, double-blinded,. ..

• Helicobacter Pylori Infections — see more articles

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Helicobacter pylori

  (Nemours Foundation)

• Helicobacter Pylori Infections

  (American Academy of Pediatrics)

  Also in Spanish

• Stool Test: H. Pylori Antigen

  (Nemours Foundation)

  Also in Spanish

H. pylori Bacterial Infection: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

H. pylori is a bacteria that can damage the stomach’s protective lining. Untreated, an H.pylori infection can lead to complications.

H. pylori is a common type of bacteria that grows in the digestive tract and tends to attack the stomach lining. Around 44 percent of people worldwide have an H. pylori infection, according to a meta-analysis from 2018.

H. pylori infections are usually harmless, but they’re responsible for most ulcers in the stomach and small intestine.

H. pylori is adapted to live in the harsh, acidic environment of the stomach. The “H” in the name is short for Helicobacter. “Helico” means spiral, which refers to the shape of the bacteria.

This bacteria can change the environment around it and reduce the acidity so it can survive more easily. The spiral shape of H. pylori allows It to penetrate the stomach lining, where it’s protected by mucus and the body’s immune cells can’t reach it. This can lead to stomach problems.

H. pylori often infects a person’s stomach during childhood. While infections with this strain of bacteria typically don’t cause symptoms, they can lead to diseases in some people, including peptic ulcers and an inflammatory stomach condition known as gastritis.

Most people with H. pylori never have symptoms. But the bacteria can damage the inner protective lining of the stomach and cause other diseases, like a peptic ulcer. Symptoms of a peptic ulcer from H. pylori include:

• dull or burning stomach pain (especially when you have an empty stomach)
• bloating
• nausea
• unexplained weight loss
• vomiting
• burping
• poor appetite

While rare, stomach cancer is also an increased risk for people with H. pylori. Stomach cancer symptoms include:

• poor appetite
• unexplained weight loss
• blood in the stool
• nausea
• feeling full early in a meal
• discomfort or swelling in the abdomen
• stomach pain
• fatigue or weakness

Still, many of the symptoms of stomach cancer, peptic ulcers, and other diseases associated with H. pylori can be caused by other issues. If you experience any symptoms you’re concerned about, talk with a doctor.

You should also get medical attention right away if you experience:

• trouble swallowing
• anemia
• blood in the stool
• black-colored feces or vomit

It’s still not known exactly how H. pylori infections spread. The bacteria has coexisted with humans for many thousands of years. The infections are thought to spread from one person’s mouth to another, like by kissing.

The bacteria may also be transferred through contact with vomit or stool. This can happen when a person does not wash their hands thoroughly after using the bathroom. H. pylori can also spread through contact with contaminated water or food.

Risk factors

Children are more likely to develop an H. pylori infection. This is largely because children may not always practice proper hygiene.

An individual’s environment and living conditions could influence their risk for an H. pylori infection. Your risk is higher if you:

• live in a developing country
• lack access to clean water
• share housing with others who’ve contracted H. pylori
• live in overcrowded conditions

If you have symptoms of a digestive condition, you may need to get tested for H. pylori. There are several ways to diagnose an H. pylori infection, including:

• Blood test: A healthcare professional may draw a sample of blood from a person’s arm or hand. The blood sample can then be sent to a laboratory to check for antibodies to H. pylori.
• Stool test: For this test, you’ll use a container from a healthcare professional to collect a sample of your feces. It can then be sent to a lab for either a stool antigen test or a stool culture test.
• Breath test: A urea breath test can check for abnormal carbon dioxide levels, which can be a sign of an H. pylori infection. The test involves breathing into a collection bag twice. In between providing breath samples, you’ll consume a pill or liquid with a harmless radioactive material. A healthcare professional can then compare the two samples to see if you may have H. pylori.

A healthcare professional may recommend getting an endoscopy if the results of the other tests are inconclusive. It allows a healthcare professional to look at your esophagus, stomach lining, and a portion of your small intestine.

During the procedure, a healthcare professional will insert a long, thin tube called an endoscope into your mouth and down into your stomach and duodenum.

An attached camera will send back images on a monitor for a healthcare professional to see. The test may also involve removing a small tissue sample (biopsy) to be analyzed after the procedure.

H. pylori infections can lead to peptic ulcers, but the infection or the ulcer itself can lead to more serious complications. These include:

• internal bleeding, which can happen when a peptic ulcer breaks through your blood vessel and is associated with iron deficiency anemia
• obstruction, which can happen when something like a tumor blocks the food from leaving your stomach
• perforation, which can happen when an ulcer breaks through your stomach wall
• peritonitis, which is an infection of the peritoneum, or the lining of the abdominal cavity

H. pylori can also increase the risk of gastric adenocarcinoma, a type of stomach cancer. This risk is higher among smokers, as well as Black people/African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, and Asians, according to a large 2019 cohort study.

With that said, most people infected with H. pylori never develop stomach cancer.

If you have an H. pylori infection that isn’t causing you any problems and you aren’t at increased risk of stomach cancer, treatment may not offer any benefits.

Stomach cancer, along with duodenal and stomach ulcers, is associated with H. pylori infection. If you have close relatives with stomach cancer or a problem like a stomach or duodenal ulcer, a healthcare professional may recommend treating an H. pylori infection.

Treatment can cure an ulcer, and it may reduce your risk of developing stomach cancer.

Medications

Using medication to treat an H. pylori infection typically involves a combination of antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor (a drug that reduces your stomach acid) for up to 14 days. This treatment is sometimes referred to as triple therapy.

Some of the drugs that are used to treat an H. pylori infection include:

• clarithromycin
• proton-pump inhibitors, like lansoprazole (Prevacid), esomeprazole (Nexium), pantoprazole (Protonix), or rabeprazole (AcipHex)
• metronidazole
• amoxicillin

Treatment may vary depending on your medical history and if you have allergies to certain medications.

After treatment, you may need a follow-up test for H. pylori. In most cases, only one round of antibiotics is needed to clear the infection. If that doesn’t work, you may need to take other medications.

There’s no vaccine that can protect you from H. pylori, but practicing healthy habits and hygiene can help prevent infection. You can lower your risk of an H. pylori infection by:

• washing your hands frequently, especially before cooking or eating, or after using the restroom
• drinking water from a source you know is safe
• avoiding food that hasn’t been cleaned properly or cooked safely

Most people infected with H. pylori never experience any symptoms or problems related to the bacteria.

If you’re experiencing symptoms and receive treatment, your long-term outlook is generally positive. At least 4 weeks after finishing your treatment, your doctor will test to make sure the medication eradicated the bacteria. You may need to take more than one round of treatment to kill the H. pylori bacteria.

H. pylori infections can lead to peptic ulcers in some people. Treating the H. pylori infection with medication can usually heal a peptic ulcer.

If you develop another condition associated with an H. pylori infection, your outlook will depend on the disease, how soon it’s diagnosed, and how it’s treated. Very few people infected with H. pylori will develop stomach cancer.

symptoms and causes / Useful

Helicobacter bacterium: symptoms and causes

Abdominal pain, nausea, belching of air – all this may indicate that a dangerous, harmful Helicobacter bacterium has settled in the body, the treatment of which should be serious and thorough. Helicobacter pylori is a very dangerous pathogen that can lead to gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis and other diseases that are dangerous for the digestive system.

Helicobacter pylori was first discovered only 30 years ago. Medical studies conducted since that time have proven that gastritis can have an infectious etiology. Also, according to studies of this bacterium, scientists have proven that, according to statistics, 75% of cases of stomach cancer in developed countries are caused by Helicobacter pylori. In developing countries, this figure is even more frightening: 90% of stomach cancer patients got the disease thanks to Helicobacter pylori.

Thus, it is worth pointing out the special role of early diagnosis of gastritis and stomach ulcers. It is a timely visit to a doctor that can save health and life.

What is the bacterium Helicobacter?

Helicobacter pylori is a special type of pathogenic microorganisms. It is a dangerous bacterium that infects the duodenum and stomach of a person. The microorganism itself is a parasite that produces toxic substances that damage the mucous membranes of organs. It is damage to the mucosa that leads to peptic ulcer, gastritis and other dangerous ailments.

It has long been believed that no organism can survive in the acidic environment of the stomach. But this does not apply to Helicobacter pylori. The bacterium, on the other hand, thrives in an acidic environment, which is preferable to it over any other habitat. Helicobacter pylori has a spiral shape and flagella. This structure of the microorganism allows it to move through the mucous membranes of the internal organs and cause irreparable harm to their integrity.

Helicobacter pylori can adapt to almost any environment. This is explained by the fact that this organism practically does not require oxygen. And another distinctive feature of Helicobacter pylori is its ability to change its own shape and become oval or round.

Russian scientists came to the decision to introduce a special term – helicobacteriosis. It denotes all the processes that begin to occur in the body immediately after the introduction of this pathogenic microorganism into it. But Western scientists conducted a study of patients’ charts and came to the conclusion that about 60-65% of the population of the entire Earth is susceptible to infection. So, Helicobacter pylori is the most common infectious disease of mankind after herpes, which is a viral disease.

What happens in the body

As soon as Helicobacter pylori enters the human body, it immediately descends into the stomach, where it lives for the rest of the time. In order not to die from gastric juice, the composition of which is quite aggressive, Helicobacter secretes special enzymes that surround it with a shell and neutralize the acid. The spiral tendrils that Helicobacter pylori has allow it to drill through the mucosal layer and get to the cells of the parietal tissues, which are usually hidden from acid.

It is the parietal tissue cells that become the main food for Helicobacter pylori. A pathogenic microorganism eats them and poisons the environment with the products of its vital activity. At the same time, those blood cells wake up in the body that react to Helicobacter pylori and seek to destroy them (neutrophils). However, destroying the pathogenic microorganism, neutrophils also destroy mucosal cells that have already been touched by Helicobacter.

After the mucosal layer is broken, hydrochloric acid begins to actively affect the tissues. This is how the inflammatory process develops and an ulcer occurs. Localization of ulcers is most often similar. This is explained by the fact that Helicobacter itself is very fond of two sections of the stomach – the bulb and the pyloric.

Causes of infection with Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacteria cannot exist in the air, with its active intake, these pathogenic organisms die. They are transmitted mainly through human mucus and saliva. Thus, most often the infection occurs in the following ways:

• Shared utensils;
• Use of personal hygiene products alone;
• Kisses;
• From mother to child.

Thus, friends, family and cohabitants of the patient may be at risk.

In general, low living standards and neglect of hygiene rules contribute to infection. Very often, helicobacteriosis occurs in people living in communal apartments and dormitories, orphanages, as well as among medical workers. It is worth noting that in third world countries the disease is much more common than in developed countries. In Russia, in recent years, the incidence of gastritis and ulcers due to the influence of Helicobacter pylori has been noted in people from wealthy segments of the population.

You can protect yourself, and it is better to take care of prevention in advance than to suffer from an illness and look for ways to deal with Helicobacter urgently.

Symptoms

The presence of Helicobacter pylori in the human body does not mean that he will definitely get sick with an ulcer. But the occurrence of this disease is quite possible if the patient has predisposing factors such as:

• malnutrition;
• alcoholism;
• smoking;
• stress.

But chronic gastritis – occurs when infected with Helicobacter pylori in almost 100% of cases. It is chronic inflammation of the stomach that is the main manifestation of Helicobacter pylori. In this case, the patient has the following symptoms:

Pain in the stomach. The localization of the symptom may change and move to the location of the duodenum. The pains are sharp, aching, dull. The person may experience a feeling of fullness. Discomfort can occur during prolonged fasting, on an empty stomach or after eating.
Heartburn. This feeling is almost impossible to confuse with any other discomfort. A person feels a burning sensation in the epigastric region, burning sensations in the esophagus and even the larynx. This may cause chest pain, which is often confused with heart pain. Also, it is not uncommon for patients to have an unpleasant sour or putrid taste.

Belching. This symptom almost always occurs along with heartburn. Belching may have a bitter or sour taste. In some cases, there is frequent belching of air, which increases after eating.

Nausea. This symptom often occurs along with hunger pains. A person may feel sick on an empty stomach or 3 hours after the last meal. If the gastric mucosa is severely injured, nausea may be replaced by vomiting with blood clots.

Intestinal disorder. Diarrhea is quite rare, but this symptom can also indicate the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach and duodenum. In the feces, there may be obvious blood in the form of clots or inclusions.

With a strong contamination of the body with Helicobacteria, a number of atypical symptoms may occur, which indicate a significant infection and progression of the disease:

Decreased appetite to its complete absence.
Sudden weight loss that is not normal.
Dry mouth and metallic taste.
Bad breath without caries.
Appearance of jam in the corners of the mouth.

These are the symptoms of Helicobacter pylori that require immediate treatment. When at least one of them appears, it is necessary to optimally quickly seek medical help and proceed with the diagnosis.
Diagnosis

From case to case, Helicobacter pylori can manifest itself in different ways. So, different patients may have different symptoms. In order to determine the presence of a pathogenic microorganism in the human stomach, special tests are provided. Patients are shown special tests for Helicobacter – urease and cytological. They help identify bacteria.

Do you have Helicobacter pylori infection? – Gastroenterology – Departments

Do you have Helicobacter pylori infection?

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that lives on the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum and causes inflammation and damage. It is the main cause of chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and stomach cancer.

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common chronic human infections. In Russia, up to 80% of the adult population is infected with it.

Infection usually occurs during childhood. At the same time, human immunity cannot cope with the destruction of Helicobacter pylori. Without treatment, this bacterium almost always remains in the stomach throughout life.

Contrary to common misconception, Helicobacter pylori is not a harmless microorganism. In its presence, chronic gastritis always develops, against which ulcers and cancer can occur in the future.

What symptoms can be caused by chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa associated with Helicobacter pylori?

• Pain and discomfort in the stomach
• Heaviness in the stomach after eating
• Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite
• Vomiting blood and dark stools (consequences of ulcer bleeding)

When is it important to detect Helicobacter pylori?

• For chronic superficial and atrophic gastritis, including erosive
• In exacerbation of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum
• If peptic ulcer was detected in the past
• In the case of long-term use of drugs that reduce the acidity of gastric juice (proton pump inhibitors)
• Regular use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• If a close relative had stomach cancer
• If there are some blood disorders (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, iron deficiency anemia of unknown cause)

How can Helicobacter pylori be detected?

There are several diagnostic methods for Helicobacter pylori. The presence of bacteria can be determined during gastroscopy, as well as without it using a special breath test, blood and feces tests.

The doctor can choose the best method.

How can Helicobacter pylori infection be treated?

For the treatment of Helicobacter pylori, special schemes of 3-5 preparations containing antibiotics are prescribed. The duration of therapy is usually 10-14 days. Only a doctor can prescribe treatment. When choosing a regimen, it is important to take into account the previous treatment of Helicobacter pylori, the presence of allergies, the previous use of antibiotics, the use of other drugs.

What can the elimination of Helicobacter pylori infection give?

• Cure chronic gastritis
• Stop the progression of atrophy of the gastric mucosa
• Stop recurring exacerbations of gastric and duodenal ulcers
• Reduce risk of stomach cancer
• Reduce the chance of mucosal damage when taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Improve blood counts in thrombocytopenic purpura and unexplained iron deficiency anemia

How to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection?

Monitoring the effectiveness of treatment should be carried out one month after the end of therapy.