12/09/2020
H. pylori is a common type of bacteria that grows in the digestive tract and has a tendency to attack the stomach lining. It infects the stomachs of roughly 60 percentTrusted Source of the world’s adult population. H. pylori infections are usually harmless, but they’re responsible for the majority of ulcers in the stomach and small intestine.
The “H” in the name is short for Helicobacter. “Helico” means spiral, which indicates that the bacteria are spiral shaped.
H. pylori often infect your 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 condition inside your stomach known as gastritis.
H. pylori are adapted to live in the harsh, acidic environment of the stomach. These bacteria can change the environment around them and reduce its acidity so they can survive. The spiral shape of H. pylori allows them to pe*****te your stomach lining, where they’re protected by mucus and your body’s immune cells are not able to reach them. The bacteria can interfere with your immune response and ensure that they’re not destroyed. This can lead to stomach problems.
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The exact way H. pylori infects someone is still unknown. H. pylori bacteria may be passed from person to person through direct contact with saliva, vomit or f***l matter. H. pylori may also be spread through contaminated food or water.
If you have an ulcer, you may feel a dull or burning pain in your belly. It may come and go, but you’ll probably feel it most when your stomach is empty, such as between meals or in the middle of the night. It can last for a few minutes or for hours. You may feel better after you eat, drink milk, or take an antacid.
Other signs of an ulcer include:
💎Bloating
💎Burping
💎Not feeling hungry
💎Nausea
💎Vomiting
💎Weight loss for no clear reason
💎Ulcers can bleed into your stomach or intestines, which can be dangerous to your health. Get medical help right away if you have any of these symptoms:
💎Stool that is bloody, dark red, or black
💎Trouble breathing
💎Dizziness or fainting
💎Feeling very tired for no reason
💎Pale skin color
💎Vomit that has blood or looks like coffee grounds
💎Severe, sharp stomach pain
It’s not common, but H. pylori infection can cause stomach cancer. The disease has few symptoms at first, such as heartburn. Over time, you may notice:
💎Belly pain or swelling
💎Nausea
💎Not feeling hungry
💎Feeling full after you eat just a small amount
💎Vomiting
💎Weight loss for no reason
It is unclear exactly how H. pylori is transmitted. It may be transmitted from person to person via being exposed to an infected person’s saliva. It may also be transmitted via being exposed to an infected person’s f***l matter or vomit. H. pylori may also be passed on when a person consumes food or water that has been contaminated by the bacteria that causes the infection.
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Complications associated with H. pylori infection include:
Ulcers. H. pylori can damage the protective lining of your stomach and small intestine. This can allow stomach acid to create an open sore (ulcer). About 10% of people with H. pylori will develop an ulcer.
H. pylori infection can irritate your stomach, causing inflammation (gastritis).
H. pylori infection is a strong risk factor for certain types of stomach cancer.
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If you don’t have symptoms of an ulcer, your doctor probably won’t test you for H. pylori. But if you have them now or have in the past, it’s best to get tested. Medicines like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also damage your stomach lining, so it’s important to find out what’s causing your symptoms so you can get the right treatment.
To start, your doctor will ask you about your medical history, your symptoms, and any medicines you take. Then she’ll give you a physical exam, including pressing on your belly to check for swelling, tenderness, or pain. You may also have:
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You’ll drink a special liquid that has a substance called urea. Then you’ll breathe into a bag, which your doctor will send to a lab for testing. If you have H. pylori, the bacteria will change the urea in your body into carbon dioxide, and lab tests will show that your breath has higher than normal levels of the gas.
To look more closely at your ulcers, your doctor may use:
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In a hospital, a doctor will use a tube with a small camera, called an endoscope, to look down your throat and into your stomach and the upper part of your small intestine. The procedure may also be used to collect a sample that will be examined for the presence of the bacteria. You may be asleep or awake during the procedure, but you’ll get medicine to make you more comfortable.
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In a hospital, you’ll drink a liquid that has a substance called barium, and your doctor will give you an X-ray. The fluid coats your throat and stomach and makes them stand out clearly on the image.
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It’s a powerful X-ray that makes detailed pictures of the inside of your body.
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If you have H. pylori, your doctor may also test you for stomach cancer. This includes:
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when your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells. It could happen if you have a tumor that bleeds.
F***l occult blood test, which checks your stool for blood that’s not visible to the naked eye
F***l occult blood test, which checks your stool for blood that’s not visible to the naked eye
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when a doctor takes a small piece of tissue from your stomach to look for signs of cancer. Your doctor may do this during an endoscopy.
💎Tests that make detailed pictures of the insides of your body, such as a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
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Biopsy, when a doctor takes a small piece of tissue from your stomach to look for signs of cancer. Your doctor may do this during an endoscopy.
Tests that make detailed pictures of the insides of your body, such as a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
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for H. pylori may include antibiotics, acid-suppressing medications, antacids, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding things like caffeine, alcohol, and to***co.
If you have ulcers caused by H. pylori, you’ll need treatment to kill the germs, heal your stomach lining, and keep the sores from coming back. It usually takes 1 to 2 weeks of treatment to get better.
Your doctor will probably tell you to take a few different types of drugs. The options include:
💎Antibiotics to kill the bacteria in your body, such as amoxicillin, clarithromycin (Biaxin), metronidazole (Flagyl), tetracycline (Sumycin), or tinidazole (Tindamax). You’ll most likely take at least two from this group.
💎Drugs that reduce the amount of acid in your stomach by blocking the tiny pumps that produce it. They include dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), or rabeprazole (Aciphex).
💎Bismuth subsalicylate, which may also help kill H. pylori along with your antibiotics
💎Medicines that block the chemical histamine, which prompts your stomach to make more acid. These are cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Fluxid, Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), or ranitidine (Zantac).
Your treatment could mean you’ll take 14 or more pills per day for a few weeks, which seems like a lot of medicine. But it’s really important to take everything that your doctor prescribes and to follow her instructions. If you don’t take antibiotics the right way, bacteria in your body can become resistant to them, which makes infections harder to treat. If your medications bother you, talk to your doctor about your treatment options and how you can handle side effects.
About 1-2 weeks after you finish your treatment, your doctor may test your breath or stool again to make sure the infection is gone.
You can protect yourself from getting an H. pylori infection with the same steps you take to keep other germs at bay:
💎 after you use the bathroom and before you prepare or eat food. Teach your children to do the same.
💎Avoid food or water that’s not clean.
💎Don’t eat anything that isn’t cooked thoroughly.
💎Avoid food served by people who haven’t washed their hands.
Though stress, spicy foods, alcohol, and smoking don’t cause ulcers, they can keep them from healing quickly or make your pain worse. Talk to your doctor about ways to manage your stress, improve your diet, and, if you smoke, how you can get help to quit.
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