Helicobacter Pylori Infection

Helicobacter Pylori Infection – General Information

Helicobacter Pylori Infection appears when the bacterium called Helicobacter pylori thrives in a person’s stomach or in the first part of the small intestine. The Helicobacter pylori are a gram-negative bacillus which is responsible for the most common infections found in humans all over the world. The Helicobacter Pylori Infection can be present in about half the people in the world and is the most common cause of the stomach ulcers, the inflammation of the stomach lining, stomach cancers and other types of cancer of the digestive tract. This bacterium does not cause problems during childhood. In the cases of the persons who are infected, if it is not treated it can cause digestive illnesses which may include: peptic ulcers (this disease is characterized by sores in the stomach), gastritis (gastritis is the irritation accompanied by the inflammation of the lining of the stomach) or stomach cancers. The researchers believe that these bacteria are contagious, because the infections is encountered in all the members of a family not only in one member, and the disease is more encountered where the persons live crowded or in unhygienic conditions. If a person gets Helicobacter Pylori Infection it can usually be cured after a long treatment with antibiotics. There is no vaccine against this bacterium, and this is because the researchers cannot fully understand how it is transmitted. It is important for the people to wash their hands very well before eating, to eat only the food which was prepared properly and not to drink water which is not from a safe source.

Helicobacter Pylori Infection – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Helicobacter Pylori Infection) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Helicobacter Pylori Infection or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Helicobacter Pylori Infection, may experience. The symptoms which these bacteria cause are usually those of a peptic ulcer or of gastritis. The children who are infected may experience nausea, vomiting, and pain in the abdomen.  In adolescents and older adults the symptoms include burning pain in the abdomen and nausea. The pain usually gets worse when not eating, and it improves when the person eats or takes medicines, antacid medicines. The children who are diagnosed with peptic ulcer can have ulcers which bleed leading to hematemesis (hematemesis means blood in the vomit) or to melena (this means that the patient’s stool is black or bloody). The younger children may be asymptomatic and this is why the illness is harder to be diagnosed. Other symptoms which can be caused by this infection include: a change in the appetite which leads to weight loss, frequent burping, bloating, bloody vomit, bloody stools, nausea and vomiting.

Helicobacter Pylori Infection – Treatment

In order to diagnose the Helicobacter Pylori Infection, the doctors may use different tests. The doctors may look at the stomach lining with the help of an instrument which is called endoscope. The procedure is done under anesthesia and consists of inserting the endoscope down the throat of the person into the stomach and duodenum. The doctors may also take samples in order to send them to the laboratory for further investigations. Another way of establishing the diagnosis in these cases includes blood test which can detect the presence of this bacterium. The last form of diagnosis consists of breath tests which usually detect the carbon which is broken down by the bacterium. This test can be done after the patient has drunk a solution. Doctors usually recommend the patients who are suffering of Helicobacter Pylori Infection antibiotics, and usually the antibiotics are given in combination, because it may be possible for the patient not to respond to a single antibiotic. If the children who have Helicobacter Pylori Infection experience bleeding from the stomach they must be hospitalized and treated in the hospitals. Doctors may also recommend in the cases of the children who are infected to take antacids and acid-suppressing drugs in order to neutralize the stomach’s acidity. It is very important for the patients to take the antibiotics on schedule.

In order to calm the abdominal pain the patients must have a regular meal schedule, in order for their stomachs not to remain empty for long periods of time. In such cases the patients are usually recommended to eat six or seven meals a day and after that a half an hour of rest. The patients are recommended not to take aspirin, ibuprofen and anti-inflammatory drugs as these drugs irritate the stomach and may even lead to stomach bleeding. The antibiotics which are usually prescribed must be taken for at least 14 days in order to eradicate the Helicobacter Pylori Bacteria and include Clarithromycin and Amoxicillin, Metronidazole, or Tetracycline. If a patient is also under treatment for ulcer or gastritis, the doctor will recommend him to take more drugs in order to promote healing, such as: proton pump inhibitors (these drugs usually suppress acids by inactivating the “pumps” of the cells which produce the acid), histamine blockers (these drugs are used in order to minimize the quantity of hydrochloric acid which is usually released in the stomach) or bismuth subsalicyclate (these drugs are given in order to protect the lining of the stomach). If a patient is diagnosed with gastric lymphoma or stomach cancers the doctor usually prescribes an antibiotic treatment which is based on a combination of antibiotics, beside the treatment options for the cancer which may include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Succeeding to eradicate the Helicobacter Pylori Infection can help in the cancer treatment and it can also prevent the reappearance of the cancer. It is very important for the people who experience similar symptoms with those of the Helicobacter Pylori Infection to see a doctor in order for the disease not to aggravate and to lead to cancers or other related medical conditions.