Helicobacter pyloriHelicobacterpylori (H. pylori) is a These bacteria can enter your body and survive in your digestive tract. They can cause sores in your gastric mucosa and the upper part of the small intestine. They are called ulcers. For some people, H. pylori infection can also cause stomach cancer. .

H. pylori infection is a common phenomenon, and about 2/3 of the world’s population has this kind of bacteria in the body. For some people, H. pylori will not cause ulcers or any symptoms. If you have symptoms, you can take drugs to kill these H. pylori and help the body recover.

Because most people in the world now have access to clean drinking water and sanitation, fewer people are now infected with this bacteria than before. Good hygiene can protect you and your children from being infected by H. pylori.

H. pyloriHow to get sick

In the past few decades, doctors believed that stress, spicy food, smoking, or other lifestyle habits were the causes of ulcers, but scientists discovered H. pylori in 1982, and they found H . pylori will cause more stomach ulcers.

After H. pylori enters your body, it will attack the gastric mucosal layer used to isolate gastric acid and digest food. Once H. pylori has caused enough After injury, gastric acid will pass through the gastric mucosa, causing ulcers, gastric bleeding, infection or allowing food to pass through the digestive tract.

You can get H. pylori through food, water, or utensils. The infection is more common in countries lacking clean water and a good sewage system, and it can also be spread through saliva or body fluids.

Many people are infected with H. pylori in childhood, and adults can also be infected. The incubation period of H. pylori can be as long as several years before symptoms appear, but most People never get ulcers, and doctors are not sure why only some people get ulcers after infection.

Symptoms

If you have a stomach ulcer, you may feel pain or burning in your abdomen. This may be a pain, but you may get worse when your stomach is empty (between meals or at night). The pain or burning may last for a few minutes or After a few hours, your symptoms can be relieved after you eat, drink milk, or take acid inhibitors.

Other symptoms of ulcers include:

l  Bloating

l  Hiccups, belching

l  Fullness

l  disgusting

l  vomiting

l  unexplained weight loss

Ulcers can cause stomach or intestinal bleeding and endanger your health. If you have the following symptoms, taking medication immediately will help you relieve your symptoms.

l  Bleeding stool, dark red or black in color

l  Breathing disorders

l  Dizziness or fainting< /p>

l  Unexplained fatigue

l  Pale skin tone

l  The vomit is bloody or like coffee grounds

l  Severe, sharp stomach pain

H. pylori infection may cause stomach cancer, but it is not common. There will be some symptoms at the beginning of stomach cancer, such as heartburn or heartache. Over time, you should pay attention to the following symptoms:

l  abdominal pain or swelling

l  disgusting

l  No hunger

l  a small amount of food feels full

l  vomiting

l  unexplained weight loss

Diagnosis

If you have no symptoms of ulcers, your doctor may not allow you to be tested for H. pylori. But if you are infected now or in the past, it is best to get a test.

Some drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also damage your gastric mucosa, so it is very important to find out the cause of your current symptoms so that you can get the right treatment.
At the beginning, your doctor will ask about your medication history, your symptoms, and all the medications you have used. Then he will give you a health check, including abdominal compressions to check for swelling, tenderness or pain. You may also need to do it. :

l  Blood and stool tests to confirm infection.

l  Urea breath test, you will drink a glass of special liquid called urea, and then breathe out In a bag, the doctor will send the bag to the laboratory for testing. If you have an infection, H. pylori will convert the urea in your body into carbon dioxide, and the laboratory test results will show that you exhaled The carbon dioxide in the gas is higher than normal.

In order to observe your ulcers more closely, your doctor will use:

l   Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. In the hospital, the doctor will use a tube connected to a camera, called an endoscope, to view the lower part of the throat, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine. This process usually also collects some samples for testing H. pylori With the existence of em>, the whole process may be asleep or awake, but you will take some drugs to make you more comfortable.

l   Upper gastrointestinal test. In the hospital, you will drink a liquid containing barium, and the doctor will do an X-ray examination for you. The liquid will cover your throat and stomach, which can then be clearly shown in the image.

l   CT scan. CT scan It is a powerful X-ray scan that can obtain clearer images of the internal details of the body.

If you have H. pylori infection, your doctor may check you for stomach cancer, including:

l  Health checkup.

l   Anemia check, if you have a tumor causing bleeding, you may not have enough red blood cells.

l   Stool occult blood test, check the feces of blood that is not visible to the naked eye.

l   endoscopy.

l   biopsy. Your doctor may remove a piece of tissue from your stomach during an endoscopy to check for signs of cancer.

l  A more detailed imaging examination of the inside of your body, such as CT or MRI ( MRI).

H. pyloriTreatment

If you are infected with H. pylori and cause ulcers, you need treatment to kill the bacteria, heal your gastric mucosa, and prevent the ulcers from recurring. This usually takes 1 to 2 weeks to heal Recovery.

Your doctor may tell you that there are several types of drugs, the options include:

l  Antibiotics, used to kill bacteria in your body, such as amoxicillin, clarithromycin , Metronidazole, tetracycline or tinidazole, you may need to choose at least two of them.

l  Drugs reduce the secretion of gastric acid by inhibiting proton pumps, including levlansoprazole, Somerazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole, or bereprazole.

l  Bismuth salicylate can help antibiotics kill H. pylori.

l  The drug blocks the chemical histamine, prompting your stomach to produce more stomach acid. These Medications include cimetidine, famotidine, nizatidine or ranitidine.

Your treatment may mean that you will take 14 or more pills a day for several weeks. This seems to be a lot of pills, but the most important thing is to follow your doctor’s prescription and instructions. If you don't take antibiotics correctly, bacteria will resist in your body, making bacterial infections more difficult to treat. If the medication interferes with you, talk to your doctor about treatment options and measures to cope with side effects.

About 1-2 weeks after you have completed treatment, your doctor may perform a breath test or stool antigen test to ensure that the infection has cured.

Prevention

You can follow the steps below to prevent H. pylori and other bacterial infections:

l  Wash your hands before meals and after going to the toilet, and teach your children to develop this habit.

l  Avoid unclean food and water.

l  Avoid handling food without washing hands.

Although stress, spicy food, drinking, and smoking do not cause ulcers, they can prevent rapid healing or worsen the pain. Talk to your doctor about stress management, improve your diet, and if you smoke, ask your doctor to help you quit smoking.

H. pyloriWhat should I do after infection?

Most ulcers caused by H. pylori can be cured after several weeks of treatment. If you are infected with H. pylori, you should avoid NSAIDs causing pain Because these drugs can damage your gastric mucosa, if you need painkillers, please consult your doctor to prescribe them.

Information query and support

You can find information about H. pylori infection and ulcers from the American Academy of Gastroenterology. You can also visit the Cancer Society to get support from online and local organizations.