Stomach Ulcer Bacteria – The H Pylori Fact Sheet
As you may know by now, the stomach ulcer bacteria that is known by Helicobacter pylori, or H pylori for short, is underlying cause behind the majority of stomach ulcers.
In this article, you will discover how people catch this stomach ulcer bacteria, what its symptoms are, how it is detected, and how it is treated.
How Stomach Ulcer Bacteria Is Contracted
One interesting thing about H pylori is that it’s transmission vector (i.e. how it is passed from person to person) is not fully understood. It is believed that it is transmitted via both human waste (sewage, excrement) and from contaminated food.
In developing nations or in cultures where a fully-functioning sewage system is not present, H pylori rates are extremely high. As an example, the majority of the population on the continent of Africa is infected with H pylori. In many of these nations, the drinking water has tested positive for H pylori.
However, world-wide rates of infection are high as well, with an estimated half of the world’s population being infected, and some 10-30% of the population living in modernized nations (depending on country) is estimated to have H pylori infection.
Note that it does not seem that H pylori is passed directly from person to person like the flu, but rather only through waste and food. You do not contract H pylori from the sneeze or cough of the infected person.
The only way we know of now to protect yourself from this bacteria is to wash your hands regularly and avoid traveling to other nations. If you must travel, try to only drink bottled water.
You can read more about how H pylori is passed from person to person in our article, Is H Pylori Contagious?
Symptoms of H Pylori
In general, H pylori infections seem to be completely symptom-free. If there are symptoms, it is usually just general discomfort (also known as dyspepsia). Symptoms could also include stomach pain, acid reflux, belching, and loss of appetite.
Symptoms of H pylori are much more mild than stomach ulcer symptoms, which the latter are often very painful. Read our article on H pylori symptoms for a full list of what sort of symptoms this stomach ulcer bacteria can cause.
Detection of Stomach Ulcer Bacteria
H pylori is typically detected via an urea breath test, also known as an H pylori breath test. The procedure is very simple and involves drinking a solution containing urea. H pylori likes to metabolize urea, and when it does it gives off ammonia gas.
After drinking urea, the person being tested then breathes into a machine which can detect ammonia gas. Since people do not exhale ammonia under normal circumstances, a detection of this gas after drinking urea is indicative of H pylori.
There are other types of tests which can be used for H pylori such as an endoscopy. For more information, read our article on all of the H pylori test types.
Treating H Pylori
H pylori is treated via antibiotics. The most common therapy type is known as triple therapy, although more types of treatment options are beginning to emerge.
Triple therapy involves the usage of two strong antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor or H2-blocker. Both of the later drugs reduce the production of stomach acid and seem to be effective in this procedure.
The two antibiotics are very strong and often can produce a lot of side effects such as indigestion and stomach pain. H pylori is very resistant to typical antibiotics, so stronger measures are necessary to successful remove it.
Some other types of treatment options including quadruple therapy (adding in a third antibiotic) and sequential therapy have begun to emerge to address increasing rates of resistance. You can read more about these therapies in our article, H pylori treatment.
Stomach Ulcer Bacteria – Summary
H pylori is typically contracted from contaminated food or water, is typically symptomless, has several testing options, and is often treated with triple therapy. Aside from the basics, we are only just beginning to understand the wide-ranging effects this bacteria has on our body.
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