Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori or helico pylori) infection happens when a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infects your stomach. This generally happens in children. A typical cause of peptic ulcers, H. pylori infection may exist in majority the people in the world.
The majority of people do not realize they have H. pylori infection, because they never ever get sick from it. If you develop symptoms and signs of a peptic ulcer, your doctor will most likely test you for H. pylori infection. If you have H. pylori infection, it can be treated with antibiotics.
Helicobacter Pylori Symptoms
Most people with H. pylori infection will never ever have any signs or symptoms. It’s not clear why this is, however some people might be born with more resistance to the harmful results of H. pylori.
When signs or symptoms do accompany H. pylori infection, they may include:
- An ache or burning pain in your abdomen
- Abdominal pain that’s worse when your stomach is empty
- Nausea
- Frequent burping
- Bloating
- Loss of appetite
- Unintentional weight reduction
When to see a doctor
Make a visit with your doctor if you observe any persistent symptoms and signs that stress you. Seek instant medical aid if you experience:
- Severe or persistent abdominal pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Bloody or black tarry stools
- Bloody or black vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
Causes of H. Pylori
The specific method H. pylori contaminates somebody is still unknown. H. pylori bacteria may be passed from person to person through direct contact with saliva, vomit or fecal matter. H. pylori may also be spread through contaminated food or water.
Risk Factors
H. pylori is frequently contracted in youth. Risk factors for H. pylori infection are related to living conditions in your youth, such as:
- Residing in congested conditions. You have a greater risk of H. pylori infection if you reside in a home with lots of other people.
- Living without a dependable supply of clean water. Having a trusted supply of clean, running water helps in reducing the risk of H. pylori.
- Living in a developing nation. People residing in developing nations, where crowded and unsanitary living conditions might be more typical, have a higher risk of H. pylori infection.
- Living with someone who has an H. pylori infection. If somebody you live with has H. pylori, you’re more likely to likewise have H. pylori.
Main Risks to Have H. Pylori
Complications connected with H. pylori infection include:
- Ulcers. H. pylori can harm the protective lining of your stomach and small intestine. This can allow stomach acid to produce an open sore (ulcer). About 10 percent of people with H. pylori will develop an ulcer.
- Inflammation of the stomach lining. H. pylori infection can irritate your stomach, causing inflammation (gastritis).
- Stomach cancer. H. pylori infection is a strong risk element for specific types of stomach cancer.
Prevention
In areas of the world where H. pylori infection and its complications prevail, medical professionals often test healthy people for H. pylori. Whether there is a benefit to treating H. pylori when you have no signs or symptoms of infection is controversial among medical professionals.
If you’re concerned about H. pylori infection or think you may have a high risk of stomach cancer, speak with your doctor. Together you can choose whether you might take advantage of H. pylori screening.
Diagnosis
As soon as you found helico pylori symptoms you need to pass some test and check-ups to confirm or decline getting the disease. Tests and procedures used to identify whether you have an H. pylori infection consist of:
- Blood test. Analysis of a blood sample may expose evidence of an active or previous H. pylori infection in your body. Nevertheless, breath and stool tests are much better at finding active H. pylori infections than is a blood test.
- Breath test. During a breath test, you swallow a pill, liquid or pudding that contains tagged carbon particles. If you have an H. pylori infection, carbon is launched when the solution is broken down in your stomach.
Your body takes in the carbon and expels it when you breathe out. You exhale into a bag, and your doctor uses an unique device to identify the carbon particles.
Acid-suppressing drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) and antibiotics can interfere with the precision of this test. Your doctor will ask you to stop taking those medications for a week or 2 weeks before you have the test. This test is available for adults and children.
- Stool test. A laboratory test called a stool antigen test tries to find foreign proteins (antigens) related to H. pylori infection in your stool. As with the breath test, PPIs and bismuth subsalicylate can affect the outcomes of this test, so your doctor will ask you to stop taking them for two weeks before the test.
- Scope test. You’ll be sedated for this test, referred to as an upper endoscopy test. During the test, your doctor threads a long flexible tube geared up with a small video camera (endoscope) down your throat and esophagus and into your stomach and duodenum. This instrument permits your doctor to see any irregularities in your upper gastrointestinal tract and remove tissue samples (biopsy).
These samples are evaluated for H. pylori infection. This test isn’t really normally advised entirely to identify an H. pylori infection since it’s more intrusive than a breath or stool test, however it may be used to identify H. pylori ulcers or if it’s needed to eliminate other gastrointestinal conditions.
Treatment for H. Pylori Infection
H. pylori infections are generally treated with at least two various antibiotics at once, to assist prevent the bacteria from developing a resistance to one specific antibiotic. Your doctor likewise will recommend or advise an acid-suppressing drug, to assist your stomach lining recover.
Drugs that can suppress acid include:
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). These drugs stop acid from being produced in the stomach. Some examples of PPIs are omeprazole (Prilosec, others), esomeprazole (Nexium, others), lansoprazole (Prevacid, others) and pantoprazole (Protonix, others).
- Histamine (H-2) blockers. These medications obstruct a compound called histamine, which activates acid production. Examples include cimetidine (Tagamet) and ranitidine (Zantac).
- Bismuth subsalicylate. More typically referred to as Pepto-Bismol, this drug works by coating the ulcer and protecting it from stomach acid.
Your doctor might recommend that you undergo testing for H. pylori a minimum of 4 weeks after your treatment. If the tests reveal the treatment was unsuccessful, you might go through another round of treatment with a various mix of antibiotic medications.
