What Is Hellcobacter pylori
This bacterium infects the lining of the stomach and thrives in the mucous environment. However,just because you have been exposed to H. pylori doesn't necessarily mean you will be affected by its presence. Oil en H. pylori does not cause any symptoms. Approximately 50 percent of people in the United States have it.
How Is H.pylori Infection diagnosed?
Endoscopy - A small tube with a camera inside is inserted through the mouth or nose, passing into the stomach to look for inflammation and ulcers. During the procedure, a biopsy. or small sample of the stomach lining, can be obtained.
What are risks of having H.pylori?
For many years, physicians thought ulcers in the upper gastrointestinal tract were related to stress, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines that include aspirin and other over-the-counter pain reilievers. Recently researchers have discovered that H. pylvri isactuallythecauseformany,ifnot most ulcers. Anulcerisadefect in the liningofanorgan, in this case, the stomach orduodenum (the first portion of the small intestine). The most common ulcer symptom is a burning pain in the abdomen. The pain often happens when the stomach is empty and may be relieved by eating food or taking antacid". Sometimes ulcers bleed. If the bleeding is heavy, blood may appear in vomit,bowel movements, which may appear dark red or black H. pylori can also cause a painful inflammation of the stomach called gastritis. The symptoms of gastritis are upper-abdominal burning/ pain, bloating and discomfort. Long term infection of the stomach with this bacterium may lead to chronic atrophic gastritis (inflammation and damage to the lining of the stomach), which in turn is a risk factor for pre-cancerous changes and cancer of the lining of the stomach. H.pylori infection is also associated with another type of stomach cancer involving white blood cells, called lymphoma. Despite these risks, the vast majority of people who carry this bacterium in their stomachs never develop cancer.