Today, many of us know that a small bacterium with the complex name Helicobacter pylori can cause such a pathology as a stomach ulcer. The history of the discovery of this microorganism stretched for more than one century. Helicobacter pylori was studied for a long time, they did not want to recognize it, and finally, its role in the occurrence of diseases of the digestive system was finally clarified. What is this bacterium and how can you get rid of it?
Dangerous microscopic organism
Today, scientists already know a lot about Helicobacter pylori. That this is a microscopic organism and that it does not have a cell nucleus, the researchers discovered at the very beginning of its study. The conclusion of scientists: the bacterium is the oldest form of life. No wonder it is widely distributed in the environment. It is worth saying that this parasite was found not only in the human body, but also in the vents of volcanoes.
Many strains of bacteria are simply necessary for us to exist. With their help, the human body produces some useful substances (for example, vitamin K). Some types of bacteria protect the surface layers of the epithelium (urinary and airways, digestive tract, skin) from pathogenic microorganisms. However, Helicobacter pylori cannot be attributed to their number. What is this bacterium? It is considered pathogenic and causes a malfunction in the body.
What confirms the pathogenicity of this bacterium? The fact is that all pathogens have a number of distinctive features. They have:
- genetic ability to parasitize;
- organotropic (adaptability to damage tissues and organs of the human body);
- toxigenicity, that is, the ability to release toxic substances;
- specificity (become the cause of an infectious disease);- the ability to exist in the body for a long period of time, or to persist.
Discovery history
Even at the end of the 19th century. many scientists could not answer the question with absolute certainty: "Helicobacter pylori - what is it?" But already in those days, many researchers assumed that such pathologies of the stomach as ulcers, gastritis and cancer are associated with infections. They found in the mucus of the diseased organ bacteria that have a characteristic spiral shape. However, the microbes extracted from the stomach, once in the external environment, quickly died, and it was not possible to investigate them.possible.
Answer the question: "Helicobacter pylori - what is it?" researchers could only a century later. Only in 1983, Australian scientists Barry Marshall and Robin Warren told the world that they found spiral-shaped bacteria in the stomach mucus of people suffering from chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers.
This year is considered the year of the discovery of Helicobacter pylori, since publications made at the end of the 19th century were safely forgotten by this time. Most gastroenterologists considered stress and improper diet, genetic predisposition, excessive consumption of overly spicy food, etc. to be the main causes of the development of stomach pathologies.
Danger bacteria
The microorganism discovered by Australian scientists is unique. Until 1983, it was believed that not a single bacterium could exist in the stomach, because it contains aggressive hydrochloric acid. However, Helicobacter pylori refuted this assumption. This spiral-shaped bacterium is able to live in the stomach and duodenum.
Doctor-scientist B. Marshall proved the danger of this microorganism on himself. He deliberately infected himself with H. pylori. After that, he developed gastritis.
This whole story has a happy ending. The doctor proved the involvement of the bacterium in the development of the pathology of the digestive tract. He got rid of gastritis after a two-week course of antibiotic therapy, and together with R. Warren received the Nobel Prize.
Laterother varieties of Helicobacter pylori have also been discovered. Some of them are the cause of the development of infectious diseases in humans.
Bacteria habitat
Helicobacter pylori is a microorganism that has been able to adapt to existence in the antrum of the stomach. The bacterium is found under layers of a thick protective layer of mucus that covers the inner surface of this organ. It is in this place that there is a neutral environment in which there is practically no oxygen.
Helicobacter pylori has no competing bacteria. It quietly reproduces and maintains its populations by feeding on the contents of the stomach. Her only problem is the resistance of the body's defenses.
Thanks to its flagella, the bacterium deftly and quickly moves in the gastric juice with corkscrew movements. At the same time, she constantly populates new areas. In order to survive in an aggressive environment, Helicobacter pylori secretes urease. This is an adaptive enzyme that neutralizes hydrochloric acid in the area around the microorganism. Thus, the bacterium easily overcomes a dangerous environment for all living things and reaches the layers of the mucous membrane unharmed. The insidiousness of a pathogenic microorganism lies in its ability to secrete special substances that allow you to get away from the response of the host's immune forces.
The bacterium parasitizes the gastric mucosa and destroys it. This leads to the appearance of small sores. Further, the process is aggravated. The harmful organism begins to destroy the walls of the stomach, which becomesthe cause of the ulcer.
Bacteria prevalence
Helicobacter pylori lives in the digestive tract of almost half of the inhabitants of our planet. However, in most cases, this pathogenic bacterium does not detect itself. It is believed that Helicobacter pylori appears in children at an early age. It enters the baby's body from loved ones or from family members. The way of its transmission is usually contact-household, through kisses, common dishes, etc. This is confirmed by the fact that, as a rule, all family members are infected at once.
An infected person can live with such a bacterium all his life and not even know about the presence of a pathogenic microorganism in his stomach. That is why no special measures are taken to detect these malicious carriers. For those suffering from digestive symptoms, a course of antibiotics can help.
First signs of the presence of bacteria
Helicobacter pylori causes gastritis or stomach ulcers in the presence of certain factors. These can be gaps in the diet, reduced immunity, stress, etc.
The manifestation of the disease begins with a violation of the functioning of the digestive tract. If a person has heartburn, discomfort after eating, bad breath, loss of appetite and sudden weight loss, as well as problems with stool, then this is the first signal that the body has begun to malfunction.
Sometimes Helicobacter pylori makes itself feltthe occurrence of rashes on the skin of the face. Some patients turn to a beautician, unaware of the presence of microscopic organisms in the stomach.
If you find the symptoms described above, you should immediately consult a doctor who should identify the disease. It is from the timely and correct diagnosis that the effectiveness of subsequent treatment will depend.
Research methods
What tests will a patient need to take so that the doctor can make a correct diagnosis?
Today, in medical practice, several methods are used to determine the presence of a harmful bacterium in the human body. At the first sign of illness, the following tests are scheduled:
1. Blood test for Helicobacter pylori. Studies are being carried out for the presence of antibodies in it, which are nothing more than a signal for the recognition of bacteria by the immune forces of the body.
2. Analysis for Helicobacter pylori feces. Ongoing research reveals the presence of the genetic material of a dangerous microorganism.
3. Breath test. With its help, specialists are able to determine the urease activity of Helicobacter pylori, located in the stomach.
4. Cytological studies. This method involves the detection of harmful bacteria using a microscope when examining samples of the gastric mucosa.
In order for the diagnosis to be as accurate as possible, doctors prescribe at least two different research methods to the patient.
Blood test
Thisthe study is called ELISA. This term means nothing more than an enzyme immunoassay. This study is being conducted to determine the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
ELISA is a blood plasma test. During the study of the obtained biological material, various chemical reactions are performed. With their help, the titers or concentration of antibodies in relation to the causative agent of helicobacteriosis are determined. What is the essence of this technique? It detects the presence of antibodies in the blood plasma, which forms human immunity when a foreign protein enters the body (it is a dangerous bacterium).
In what cases can we talk about the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach? The presence of a dangerous microorganism is indicated by the results of tests confirming the presence of antibodies in the blood. But there is a certain nuance here. It is worth remembering that even if the decoding of a blood test for Helicobacter pylori gave a positive result, it does not give a 100% guarantee of the presence of an infection in the body. After all, antibodies in the blood remain for some, sometimes a long period of time in the body of a person who has completely got rid of a dangerous bacterium.
Sometimes it happens that a person donates blood for Helicobacter pylori. The transcript of the analysis shows a negative result (below 12.5 units/ml). It would seem that everything is fine, but … It should be borne in mind that a pronounced response of the immune system appears only some time after the bacterium enters the body. That's whySome test results are false negative. The pathogenic microbe is already in the body, but the immune system has not yet given its response in the form of antibodies.
In order to overcome the shortcomings of this study, it becomes necessary to perform fractional analysis of immunoglobulins IgA, IgG and IgM. These substances are nothing more than various types of antibodies that immune cells are able to produce.
What are these antibodies? So, IgG is the most common class of immunoglobulin. It is a substance that has a protein nature. IgG begins to be produced by the body 3-4 weeks after the infection enters the body. At the same time, in the presence of helicobacteriosis, the concentration of this immunoglobulin correlates with respect to the activity of the bacterium. A month after the elimination of the infection, IgG is not detected in the blood. A relatively small fraction of free proteins are type M immunoglobulins. They are the first to be detected in the blood of a patient infected with Helicobacter pylori.
As for IgA, this immunoglobulin is secretory. Antibodies of this type in the presence of infection can be found not only in the blood, but also in saliva, as well as in the gastric juice of the patient. Their presence indicates a high activity of the pathological process.
If an analysis is made for Helicobacter pylori, the norm of antibodies of all types is detected in the case of a quantitative rather than a qualitative determination of IgA, IgM and IgG. In such studies, experts put the final result depending on the laboratory in whichanalyzes are taken. In this case, the reference values of the norm are used.
On the form on which you can see the result (Helicobacter pylori is in the body or not), numbers are affixed. Their values regulate the norm, as well as the presence of pathology for the reference values of the antibodies present in the body.
There are laboratories in which indicators are put down that indicate the doubtfulness of the result obtained for Helicobacter pylori (12.5-20 units / ml). In the presence of such values, doctors prescribe a second test. But it can be done only after two or three weeks.
What does it mean if, after donating blood for Helicobacter pylori, the IgG norm is indicated in the transcript of the results (below 0.9 U / l)? In such cases, the specialist can conclude that there is no Helicobacter pylori in the body.
If a blood test is taken for Helicobacter pylori, the IgM immunoglobulin norm will indicate to the doctor the early period that the patient experiences after infection. If at the same time a negative result is obtained for the presence of other types of antibodies in the body, then it will clearly indicate the absence of a pathogenic microbe in the body.
What do the other results that are obtained when the blood test was deciphered for Helicobacter pylori indicate? The norm of IgA immunoglobulin will tell that the patient is going through an early period after infection. However, such an indicator may also indicate the absence of Helicobacter pylori. This is confirmed by the normal values of other types of antibodies.
Preparation for a blood test and donation
In order to determine the presence or absence of infection in the body as reliably as possible, doctors give certain recommendations to their patients. If a person is assigned an analysis for Helicobacter pylori, how to take it to get the most reliable results? Experts recommend excluding fatty foods from the menu on the eve of visiting the laboratory. It should be borne in mind that only in the morning is an analysis for Helicobacter pylori. How to submit it? Only on an empty stomach. The patient's blood is taken from a vein. It is placed in a test tube containing a special gel that folds the collected biological material. In this case, the plasma is separated, which is examined for the presence of antibodies.
Breath test
Urease analysis allows you to determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the body due to the ability of the bacterium to produce a special enzyme that protects it from the aggressive environment of the stomach. It is an enzyme (urease) that breaks down urea in the digestive tract. This reaction produces ammonia and carbon dioxide. The last of these two elements is released when the patient breathes.
This analysis has three modifications. They include:
- tests with urea labeled with radioactive isotopes;
- 13C study using urea with non-radioactive isotopes;- helic test using urea instead of isotopes.
What can be the interpretation of the breath test for Helicobacter pylori? The rule indicatingabsence of infection, this is the case when the marked isotopes are completely absent in the air exhaled by the patient.
Before passing the urease test, the patient should limit the intake of water and food. The morning trip to the laboratory is done on an empty stomach. It is also not recommended to drink an hour before the test. Within 1.5 days before the study, the patient should not eat cabbage and apples, black bread and legumes, as well as other foods that promote increased gas formation.
Getting rid of a dangerous microorganism
How to treat Helicobacter pylori bacteria? Since a harmful bacterium can exist in the human body without any manifestation of symptoms, therapy is carried out only in cases where there is already a gastritis, ulcer or other pathological processes.
If the Helicobacter pylori bacterium is found in the stomach, the doctor will decide how to treat it. Only a specialist will be able to choose one of several therapy regimens for his patient. Moreover, he will do this based on the individual characteristics of the patient, taking into account his reaction to certain drugs.
So, antibacterial agents can be prescribed by a gastroenterologist. With their help, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in the stomach can be eliminated. How to treat a patient with antibiotics? In the regimen, the doctor includes such pharmacological agents as Azithromycin, Flemoxin, Clarithromycin, Levofloxacin. Antibacterial drugs "De-nol", "Metronidazole" and others can also be prescribed.
With stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastritis and other pathologies, what other treatment will Helicobacter pylori require? Reviews of gastroenterologists indicate that therapy that helps to eliminate such an infection should include drugs that reduce the secretion of gastric juice. Only in this case, the infection will be in an unfavorable environment for it. A couple of weeks, and sometimes a little longer, a similar treatment from Helicobacter pylori lasts. Patient reviews confirm the effectiveness and convenience of this therapy.
At the same time in complex treatment it is recommended to use the advice of folk healers. Of course, natural remedies will not rid a person of bacteria, but they will help in eliminating painful symptoms and in accelerating the process of recovery of the gastric mucosa.
From the most effective folk remedies, the following can be distinguished:
- decoctions of St. John's wort, chamomile, calamus and lingonberry leaves, which have an antiseptic and soothing effect;
- flax seeds and oil that can create an enveloping effect;- tinctures made from flowers rose hips and pears.
Before using natural remedies, it is recommended to consult with your doctor.
