Helicobacter pylori infection: causes, symptoms, treatment

If a person is regularly disturbed by heartburn, nausea, belching, abdominal pain and rapid satiety after a meal, then with a high degree of probability it may appear that he has Helicobacter pylori infection, which in turn is the culprit of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.

Features Helicobacteria

Helicobacter pylori has a number of features. First, this bacterium successfully withstands the acidic environment in the stomach. Most other viruses and bacteria die in the stomach due to their high acidity, however Helicobacter has protective mechanisms. Only after getting into 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 is attached to the walls of the stomach and can remain in this safe place for decades.

Secondly, the bacterium can provoke most diseases of the stomach and intestines. Breeding, it destroys the cells of the stomach. And the allocation of harmful substances and toxins leads to chronic inflammation and gastritis. Ejaculations and ulcers appear in the stomach and duodenum, the risk of developing gastric cancer is significantly increased .

Thirdly, Helicobacter pylori infection is completely cured by specialized therapy.

Causes of infection

Helicobacter pylori is not viable in the air, it quickly dies. It can be transmitted through saliva by contact of a sick and healthy person. The most common way of transferring a bacterium is the general use of personal care products, utensils. Also the transfer is possible with a kiss. Therefore, if Helicobacter pylori infection is present in one family member, all others fall into the risk group.

Symptoms of infection

Symptoms of Helicobacter pylori infection are usually nonspecific. That is, on the basis of this or that symptom it is impossible to firmly diagnose. Also, the absence of symptoms does not mean that there is no infection. But the overwhelming majority of patients had the following symptoms: discomfort and repeated pains in the stomach, which, as a rule, come to the hungry stomach and disappear after eating. This may be evidence of the presence on the walls of the stomach ulcers that formed during the life of the bacteria.

Also, people who have fallen ill have heartburn that increases with time, frequent belching, bloating , heaviness in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, poor digestion of meat, fast satiety or, conversely, a feeling of hunger that does not go away even after a plentiful meal.

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection using biopsy material

If a person has a peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, or he has found symptoms of Helicobacter pylori infection, then special studies should be carried out without fail. Based on the sampling and analysis of biopsy material, several studies have been carried out.

1. Rapid urease test. A small piece of mucous goes down into the medium with urea and a certain indicator. If there is a Helicobacter pylori infection, the bacterium with urease begins to break down the urea, 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. Taken pieces of the mucosa are examined under a microscope. If there are many bacteria, they can be seen through magnifying lenses. This method is not the most informative, since it does not allow detection of infection with a small number of bacteria, and also determine their appearance.

3. Sowing the biomaterial on a nutrient medium. Helicobacterium grows in an oxygen-poor medium rich in nitrogen. To create such conditions, expensive equipment and time are required. The duration of the study is up to 8 days. However, it is this technique that gives absolutely correct result and allows to establish not only the strain of the bacterium, but also its sensitivity to certain groups of antibiotics.

4. Immunohistochemistry. Pieces of the mucosa are treated with special antibodies specific for the bacteria, which makes it possible to see it. It is also an effective method, which determines helicobacteria even with a small amount.

Blood test for Helicobacter pylori

In the blood test, antibodies to the bacteria can be detected. They appear 1-2 months after infection. However, even after a 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.

Respiratory infection test

Before carrying out a respiratory 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 in a special tube. Initially, a sample of exhaled air is sampled, after which a person is offered to drink a solution of carbamide with labeled carbon. After 15-20 minutes, the exhaled air is again taken for examination. The essence of the test is that helikobaktery cleaves carbamide, and coal is secreted by the lungs during breathing, a special system fixes its concentration.

The method is fairly simple and effective, but it is expensive. In Europe it is used to control therapy.

Analysis of feces for Helicobacter pylori

To perform the procedure, only a small sample of the stool of the patient is needed, which is examined for the presence of parts of the bacterium. This analysis is successfully used to identify the most Helicobacter infection, and to test the effectiveness of treatment.

Treatment

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection requires complex therapy, which is aimed at destroying the bacteria in the stomach. Getting rid of Helicobacter pylori is an indispensable condition for the healing of ulcers and erosions on the gastric mucosa.

Treatment of infection is carried out with antibiotics and other medicines that regulate the level of acidity in the stomach.

The treatment regimen is a triple scheme of eradication, that is, it includes three drugs that need to be taken together. As a rule, two of them are antibiotics and the third is an inhibitor of the proton pump. Currently, there are also treatment regimens from 4 drugs: two of them are still antibiotics, one reduces the production of gastric juice and the last one is a preparation of bismuth.

The course of treatment lasts from 10 to 14 days. About what to treat Helicobacter pylori infection and what scheme to use, it is necessary to consult with your doctor.

Prevention of disease

In order not to become infected with Helicobacter pylori infection, it is necessary to observe elementary hygiene rules. This includes washing hands before eating, using personal utensils and hygiene products. If one of the members of the family has Helicobacteria, all the others must also take tests.

So, the diseases that can cause helikobaktery, are serious, ranging from gastritis and ulcers and ending with stomach 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 to do preventive examinations as prescribed by the doctor.