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Helicobacter pylori infection: symptoms, causes and treatment

What is Helicobacter Pylori infection?

Helicobacter Pylori is a bacterium that resides in and infects your stomach lining. An infection caused by Helicobacter Pylori that damages your stomach mucosa is called H. Pylori infection.

This bacteria is responsible for attacking the protective lining of the stomach and cause many gastric problems such as gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric or duodenal ulcers, or very rarely stomach(gastric) cancer. 

Majority of the world population have some amount of these germs in their stomach but not all get the infection from them.  In most of the cases, the people may not even show any symptoms. 

When there is growth and proliferation and invasion of H.pylori bacteria, it causes the inflammation in the stomach. It is called a Helicobacter pylori infection.  This germs release an enzyme which has a harmful effect on the stomach lining or mucosa, which then gets inflammed and symptoms such as pain, burning sensation, nausea,vomiting, fever, etc. may occur. 

How do we get Helicobacter Pylori infection? 

The bacteria can enter the human body through different ways:

  • By contaminated food and water See: Food poisoning 
  • By contaminated hands
  • By contact with the feces or poop of the infected person
  • By contact with the saliva or vomitus of the infected person
When the bacteria enter our body it can reach the stomach and start damaging the stomach lining. In response the immune system of our body reacts and the site gets inflammed.  The release of the toxins by the bacteria causes erosion of the stomach mucosa thus causing symptoms of gastric trouble. 

Who is at more risk of H. Pylori infection?

H.pylori is seen most commonly in the kids. During childhood the infection starts developing and may even continue further. 

The people who can be at risk of getting H. Pylori infection may be:

  • People with family history of peptic ulcer or H. pylori infection
  • People who are weak or have compromised immune system 
  • Children and old age people
  • People who take more alcohol
  • People who smoke more
  • People living in underdeveloped or developing countries of the world
  • People residing in overcrowded areas or slums
  • People sharing the living space with the infected person
  • People living under poor sanitary conditions
  • Consuming contaminated food products and water
  • Eating overspicy or fatty foods 
  • Drinking non filtered water
  • Eating food without proper hand washing
  • Poor hand hygiene
  • Not washing hands after using bathrooms or toilet
Unsanitary conditions and poor status of living may pose a greater risk as the hygiene is compromised and people really do not have access to clean or infection-free products and environment.

What are the common signs and symptoms of H. Pylori infection?

The common known signs and symptoms of H. Pylori infection are:

  • Pain in the abdomen, dull or sharp often accompanied with bloating. Pain may be intermittent, means it may come and go.
  • Pain is more on empty stomach and the person may get relief on eating or drinking something. 
  • Feeling fullness on having even a small meal. This affects your daily intake needed by body
  • Anorexia or loss of appetite.  Due to this, the person may start losing weight for no intended reason. 
  • Burping may be seen on/after eating food. 
  • Swelling in the stomach
  • Feeling of nausea and vomiting
  • Discomfort in your belly or upper abdomen

When the infection causes ulcers or sores in the lining:

  • It may cause gastric or stomach and duodenal bleeds.
  • Stools or poop look black or tarry due to the presence of blood. The symptoms become more intense and the person may feel even more difficulty eating. 
  • A person cannot eat more even on being hungry and at later stages the person starts losing interest in eating due to the pain and discomfort.
  • Extreme weight loss
  • Fainting 
  • Breathlessness
  • Hemoptysis or blood in the vomiting

How do you know if you have H. Pylori infection? How can be H.Pylori infection diagnosed?

See your doctor immediately if you notice the symptoms of ulcers. Get tested for the Helicobacter Pylori.
 
  • H. pylori infection can be diagnosed by doing assessment of the symptoms as narrated by the patient while history taking.
  • Your doctor may perform several blood and serology tests to rule out the infection and the presence of the antibodies for the Helicobacter pylori infection in your blood.
  • You may also be ordered a stool or poop test to detect the presence of bacteria in your poop.
  • To detect the ulcers in your stomach and duodenum, you may need to undergo a barium swallow and endoscopy to get an even more clear picture of the extent of damage to the stomach caused by the bacteria.
  • Abdomen ultrasounds and CT scans also help to rule out the changes in the integrity of your stomach lining. 
  • Stomach cancers are rare but you may need a biopsy of your stomach to rule out any cancer due to the Helicobacter infection.

How is H.pylori infection treated?

The treatment is mainly to reduce the infection by inhibiting or killing the bacteria present in the stomach. 
Your doctor may prescribe some antibiotic and antacid medications and give you symptomatic treatment to relieve your symptoms. 

Is H. Pylori infection curable? 

In most of the cases detected early and taken prompt treatment the prognosis is good. Although it may take up to few weeks to months to a year to get completely rid of the bacteria, the outcome depends mainly on the person's adaptation to treatment and the food and lifestyle recommendations. 

Can you get H. Pylori infection again and again?

Yes, it can be a recurring infection which means anyone get it again even after getting cured initially. As for now the vaccine for this bacteria is not available and this may increase the chances of the bacteria to cause infection again and again if the person gets exposed to the risk factors.

How can you prevent the Helicopter Pylori infection? 

Prevention from this infection is possible, if you follow few preventive measures, you can surely stay away from this bacterial infection.

Preventive measures for Helicobacter Pylori infection:

  • Improve the sanitary conditions of your surroundings and residing place
  • Avoid crowded places
  • Eat a balanced diet and maintain health of the body
  • Always drink water that is boiled and cooled or filtered properly
  • Wash the food items as well as your hands properly before cooking 
  • Always wash hands for at least 20 seconds before and after eating food
  • Always wash your for at least 20 seconds after using washrooms
  • Do not share food and plates with the infected member in the family
  • Try to avoid over-fatty or junk and spicy foods
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Eat a well balanced diet along with fresh fruits and juices
  • Include the probiotics in your diet to keep your gastric lining healthy
Helicobacter infection is a curable infection with early detection and prompt treatment. Living in good environment and high sanitary conditions can prevent you from this infection. 

See Gastritis to know more about the infection caused by Helicobacter Pylori infection


Note: This post is for informational and educational purpose only, It is not a substitute to any medical or professional advice or treatment. See your doctor in any case.

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