What is Helicobacter pylori?
Helicobacter pylori, shortly known as H.pylori is a type of bacteria that lives in the digestive tract of an individual and invades the stomach lining. It causes disease mostly in childhood, though adults are also affected greatly by these bacteria. Globally, the most common causative agent of stomach ulcers in adults is H.pylori. This strain of bacteria is harmless but sometimes it may cause serious stomach infections including ulcers and stomach cancer.
Causes of H.pylori:
- Till today, doctors do not know the main cause of H.pylori. This bacteria invades the stomach lining where it is protected by the mucus and hence does not get affected by the body’s immune system. Therefore, it becomes persistent.
- H.pylori mostly spreads from person to person.
- It may spread from faeces to mouth, when a person does not wash hands after using toilet.
- Mostly found in contaminated food and water.
Symptoms of H.pylori infections:
H.pylori when attacks, does not show any symptoms, however, when the complications lead to severe ulcers, abdominal pains and other symptoms are experienced which are as follows:
- A person feels swollen
- Nausea and loss of appetite
- Fever
- Blood in faeces
- Heartburns
Complications related to H.pylori:
- Stomach cancers
- Inflammation of lining of stomach and intestines, called Gastritis.
- Formation of stomach ulcers, also known as peptic ulcers
- Internal bleeding
- Peritonitis: perforation of stomach walls
Treatment of H.pylori:
- You need to take proper care of your diet. Eat healthy and refrain from contaminated food or water.
- Proper medication: Doctor recommends a patient of H.pylori to take antibodies that would lower his level of stomach acid so that antibiotics may affect more efficiently.
After thoughts:
H.pylori is a common, mostly harmless strain of bacteria that lives in the digestive tract and invades the lining of stomach or intestine. It is the major cause of stomach ulcers in adults worldwide. Symptoms include abdominal pains, fever, nausea and internal bleeding etc. For treatment, doctors recommend to use more than one antibiotics such as amoxicillin or tetracycline etc.
