If a person is regularly worried about heartburn, nausea, belching, abdominal pain and quick satiety after a meal, then with a high degree of probability it may turn out that he has Helicobacter pylori infection, which, in turn, is responsible for the appearance of gastritis and gastric ulcer.
Features of Helicobacter
Helicobacter pylori has a number of features. Firstly, this bacterium withstands quite successfully the acidic environment in the stomach. Most other viruses and bacteria die in the stomach due to their high acidity, but Helicobacter pylori has defense mechanisms. Only once it gets into the stomach, it with the help of flagella moves 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 able to provoke most diseases of the stomach and intestines. Propagating, it destroys the cells of the stomach. And her release of harmful substances and toxins leads to chronic inflammation and gastritis. Erosions and ulcers appear in the stomach and duodenum, the risk of developing stomach cancer increases significantly .
Thirdly, Helicobacter pylori infection is completely cured by specialized therapy.
Causes of infection
Helicobacter pylori is not viable in the air, quickly dies. It can be transmitted through saliva upon contact of a sick and healthy person. The most common way of transmitting bacteria is the general use of personal hygiene products, utensils. Also, transmission is possible with a kiss. Therefore, if one family member has Helicobacter pylori infection, everyone else is at risk.
Symptoms of infection
Signs of Helicobacter pylori infection are usually non-specific. That is, on the basis of a particular symptom, it is impossible to firmly make a diagnosis. Also, the absence of symptoms does not mean that there is no infection. But in the vast majority of patients, the following symptoms were observed: discomfort and repeated 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.
Also, sick people have heartburn, aggravating over time, frequent belching, bloating , heaviness in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, poor digestibility of meat food, fast satiety or, conversely, a feeling of hunger that does not pass even after a hearty 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 must be carried out without fail. Based on sampling and analysis of biopsy material, there are several studies.
1. Quick urease test. A small piece of the mucosa is lowered into the medium with urea and a specific indicator. If there is Helicobacter pylori infection, then the bacterium with the help of urease begins to break down 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. The taken pieces of the mucosa are examined under a microscope. If there are a lot of bacteria, then they can be seen through magnifying lenses. This method is not the most informative, since it does not allow to detect infection with a small number of bacteria, and also to determine their type.
3. Sowing biomaterial on a nutrient medium. Helicobacterium 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 the absolutely true result and allows you to establish not only the strain of the bacterium, but also its sensitivity to certain groups of antibiotics.
4. Immunohistochemistry. Slices of the mucosa are treated with special antibodies specific to the bacterium, which allows it to be seen. Also an effective method, determines Helicobacter pylori even with a small amount.
Helicobacter blood test
In a blood test, antibodies to bacteria can be detected. They appear 1-2 months after infection. However, even after a positive treatment, antibodies are able to remain in the blood for up to 1 year, so this method is not used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.
Infection breath test
Before conducting a respiratory urease test, the patient is not allowed to smoke, take alcohol, antibiotics, or stomach preparations. The test is performed on an empty stomach, while the patient breathes in a special tube. First, a sample of exhaled air is taken, after which a 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 helicobacteria breaks down carbamide, and coal is secreted by the lungs during breathing, a special system captures its concentration.
The method is quite simple and effective, but it is expensive. In Europe, it is also used to control therapy.
Fecal Helicobacter Pylori Analysis
For the procedure, only a small sample of the patient’s feces is needed, which is examined for the presence of parts of the bacterium. This analysis has been successfully used 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 erosion on the gastric mucosa to begin.
Infection is treated with antibiotics and other drugs that regulate the level of acidity in the stomach.
The treatment regimen is a triple eradication regimen, that is, it includes three drugs that must be taken together. Typically, two of them are antibiotics and the third is a proton pump inhibitor. At present, there are 4 drug treatment 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. Consult a physician about how to treat Helicobacter pylori infection and which regimen to use.
Disease prevention
In order not to become infected with Helicobacter pylori infection, basic hygiene rules must be observed. This includes washing hands before eating, using personal dishes and hygiene products. If one of the members of the family has Helicobacter, all the others must also be tested.
So, the diseases that Helicobacter can cause are serious, ranging from gastritis and ulcers to gastric cancer. Since the symptoms of Helicobacter pylori infection are not specific and may not be detected on time, great attention should be paid to the prevention of the disease, as well as to do preventive examinations as prescribed by the doctor.