If a person is regularly worried about heartburn, nausea, belching, abdominal pain and rapid satiety after a meal, then with a high degree of probability it may turn out that he has a Helicobacter pylori infection, which, in turn, is the culprit for the appearance of gastritis and peptic ulcer stomach disease.
Features of Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori has a number of features. Firstly, this bacterium quite successfully withstands the acidic environment in the stomach. Most other viruses and bacteria die in the stomach due to high acidity, but Helicobacter pylori has defense mechanisms. Once in the stomach, it moves with the help of flagella to the mucus located on the walls of the stomach. At the same time, the bacterium increases the secretion of ammonia, which neutralizes the acidic environment around it. That is, Helicobacter pylori attaches to the walls of the stomach and can remain in this safe place for decades.
Secondly, the bacterium is capable of provokingmost diseases of the stomach and intestines. Reproducing, it destroys the cells of the stomach. And the release of harmful substances and toxins by it leads to chronic inflammation and gastritis. Erosions and ulcers appear in the stomach and duodenum, and the risk of developing stomach cancer increases significantly.
Third, H. pylori infection is completely curable with specialized therapy.
Causes of infection
Helicobacter pylori is not viable in the air, quickly dies. It can be transmitted through saliva when a sick person and a he althy person come into contact. The most common route of transmission of the bacterium is the general use of personal hygiene products, utensils. Also, transmission is possible with a kiss. Therefore, if one family member has a Helicobacter pylori infection, everyone else is at risk.
Infection symptoms
Signs of Helicobacter pylori infection are usually non-specific. That is, on the basis of this or that symptom, it is impossible to firmly make a diagnosis. Also, the absence of symptoms does not mean that there is no infection. But the vast majority of patients showed the following signs: discomfort and recurring pain in the stomach, which, as a rule, come on an empty stomach and disappear after eating. This may be evidence of the presence of ulcers on the walls of the stomach, which were formed during the life of the bacteria.
Sick people also experience heartburn, which gets worse over time,frequent belching, bloating, heaviness in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, poor digestion of meat food, rapid satiety or, conversely, a feeling of hunger that does not go away even after a heavy meal.
Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection using biopsy material
If a person has a peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, or he has found symptoms of a Helicobacter pylori infection, then special studies must be carried out without fail. Based on the sampling and analysis of biopsy material, there are several studies.
1. Rapid urease test. A small piece of mucosa descends into the medium with urea and a certain indicator. If there is a Helicobacter pylori infection, then the bacterium begins to break down urea with the help of urease, therefore, the acidity of the medium changes, which shows the changed color of the indicator. This technique is simple, inexpensive and very revealing.
2. Microscopy. The taken pieces of the mucosa are examined under a microscope. If there are many bacteria, then they can be seen through magnifying lenses. This method is not the most informative, as it does not allow detecting an infection with a small number of bacteria, as well as determining their type.
3. Sowing biomaterial on a nutrient medium. Helicobacter pylori grows in a low-oxygen environment rich in nitrogen. To create such conditions requires expensive equipment and time. The duration of the study is up to 8 days. However, it is this technique that gives an absolutely correct result and allowsestablish not only the strain of bacteria, but also its sensitivity to certain groups of antibiotics.
4. Immunohistochemistry. Pieces of the mucosa are treated with special antibodies specific to the bacteria, which allows you to see it. Also an effective method, it determines Helicobacter pylori even with a small amount.
Helicobacter pylori blood test
A blood test can detect antibodies to bacteria. They appear 1-2 months after infection. However, even after positive treatment, antibodies can persist in the blood for up to 1 year, so this method is not used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.
Breath test for infection
Before the breath urease test, the patient is forbidden to smoke, take alcohol, antibiotics, drugs for the stomach. The test is performed on an empty stomach, while the patient breathes into a special tube. First, a sample of exhaled air is taken, after which the person is offered to drink a solution of carbamide with labeled carbon. After 15-20 minutes, exhaled air is again taken for examination. The essence of the test is that Helicobacter pylori breaks down urea, and carbon is released by the lungs during breathing, a special system fixes its concentration.
The method is quite simple and effective, but it is expensive. In European countries, it is also used to control therapy.
Fecal analysis for Helicobacter pylori
For the procedure, only a small sample of the patient's stool is needed, which is examined for the presence of partsbacteria. This analysis has been successfully used both to identify the Helicobacter pylori infection itself and to test the effectiveness of treatment.
Treatment
Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection involves complex therapy, which is aimed at destroying bacteria in the stomach. Getting rid of Helicobacter pylori itself is an indispensable condition for the healing of ulcers and erosions on the gastric mucosa to begin.
Infection is treated with antibiotics and other drugs that regulate stomach acid levels.
The treatment regimen is a triple eradication regimen, that is, it includes three drugs that must be taken together. Typically, two of these are antibiotics and the third is a proton pump inhibitor. Currently, there are 4 drug regimens: two of them are still antibiotics, one reduces the production of gastric juice and the last is a bismuth drug.
The course of treatment lasts from 10 to 14 days. About how to treat Helicobacter pylori infection and what scheme to use, you must definitely consult with your doctor.
Disease prevention
In order not to become infected with Helicobacter pylori infection, you must follow the basic rules of hygiene. This includes washing hands before eating, using personal utensils and hygiene products. If one of the family members is found to have Helicobacter pylori, all the others must also be tested.
So, the diseases that Helicobacter pylori can cause are serious, ranging from gastritis and ulcers tostomach cancer. Since the symptoms of Helicobacter pylori infection are not specific and may not be detected in time, great attention should be paid to the prevention of the disease, as well as preventive examinations as prescribed by a doctor.
