2023-04-27 13:00:00
The phrase “Helicobacter pylori” is well-known and familiar to many, but not everyone knows what exactly lies behind it. Meanwhile, this infection is one of the main causes of stomach cancer, so it needs to be monitored and treated promptly.
How it is done, told the gastroenterologist and hepatologist Evgenia Lezhepekova.
The content of the article:
What is Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori, and popularly simply Helicobacter, is a bacterium that settles in the antrum of the stomach (its lowest part) and lives in its acidic environment.
The bacterium adapts very well to the conditions that are created for it in the stomach. With the help of its flagella, it attaches to the mucous membrane and secretes the enzyme urease, which protects it from hydrochloric acid. Evgenia Lezhepekova Hepatologist, gastroenterologist
Helicobacter destroys the protective layer of the gastric mucosa and penetrates the surface of the cells, contributing to their damage and death.
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How can you get Helicobacter pylori
The infection is transmitted by the fecal-oral and oral-oral routes. Therefore, most often, infection occurs within a family or a close team, where they use common cutlery and utensils, hygiene measures are poorly observed.
Helicobacter most often infects children aged 10-12, because at this age they observe hygiene worse and at the same time have a still weak immune system. Evgenia Lezhepekova Hepatologist, gastroenterologist Freepik
What are the symptoms of Helicobacter pylori?
The infection can be absolutely asymptomatic for years, so that the carrier will not even suspect regarding it for 20-30 years.
Sometimes patients only following 50 years of age find out that they have a Helicobacter pylori infection, because nothing bothered them all their lives. Evgenia Lezhepekova Hepatologist, gastroenterologist
However, certain symptoms can give out Helicobacter:
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stomach ache;
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dyspepsia – difficult and painful digestion, heaviness following eating;
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frequent belching;
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feeling of nausea;
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iron deficiency anemia;
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decrease in blood platelets;
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manifestations on the skin in the form of rosacea or dermatitis of unknown origin.
Even if Helicobacter is asymptomatic, in any case it causes inflammation of the stomach, that is, this infection does not go away without consequences. Be sure to observe the activity of gastritis, inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Evgenia Lezhepekova Hepatologist, gastroenterologist
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What to do if you have symptoms of Helicobacter pylori
Leave the symptoms of infection unattended. If the disease is allowed to take its course, it can lead to erosive and ulcerative lesions and, as a result, to stomach cancer.
To date, 85% of cases of stomach cancer are associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. Evgenia Lezhepekova Hepatologist, gastroenterologist
It is possible to determine the infection by non-invasive methods, one of the simplest reliable ones is the respiratory 13C-urease test. However, this method alone is not suitable for everyone.
Freepik/katemangostar
It is advisable for patients of mature age, following 40 years, to be checked using gastroscopy and colonoscopy, since changes in the body by this age may already be more serious, the risk of oncopathology increases. The doctor must visually assess the condition of the mucous membrane of the stomach, esophagus and intestines.
Another method for detecting Helicobacter is a blood test for the presence of antibodies. It is suitable for patients who have never been treated for Helicobacter pylori infection before.
How is Helicobacter pylori treated?
Treatment for Helicobacter pylori can only be prescribed by a doctor.
Children under 18 years of age with an asymptomatic course and the absence of erosions and ulcers are not treated for Helicobacter pylori – doctors usually wait until the body gets stronger and the immune system becomes stable enough not to become infected once more.
In other cases, treatment regimens include:
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two antibiotics from different groups;
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a proton pump inhibitor drug that reduces the acidity of the stomach in order to maximize the effectiveness of antibiotics;
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bismuth preparation, which enhances the action of antibacterial drugs;
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drugs to maintain and restore the intestinal microbiota, necessary once morest the background of antibiotic therapy.
Naturally, when taking antibiotics, some part of the intestinal microbiota will suffer, so we prescribe restorative drugs in parallel. And following treatment, we prescribe a monthly course of the probiotic complex and nutrition with a large amount of fiber, fermented milk products, and prebiotics. Evgenia Lezhepekova Hepatologist, gastroenterologist
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