2024-05-10 09:41:16
Eglė Marciuškienė, a laboratory medicine doctor of the “Antėja” health care network, says that if bacteria are detected early and the damage caused by them is prevented, not only the frequency of everyday ailments of the digestive tract can be significantly reduced, but even the probability of malignant diseases.
Pay attention to the warning signs
The doctor says that most people are first infected with the H. Pylori bacterium in childhood, but adults are not protected from it either. About 60-70 percent. people have this bacteria in their stomachs without even knowing it because they simply don’t experience any distinctive symptoms.
It is a spiral gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human stomach and plays a key role in the development of many diseases of the digestive tract.
“Many years ago, this bacterium did not attract much interest from the health science community, because it was common to think that the human stomach is too acidic an environment for various microbes to survive there. It was only less than twenty years ago that the role of H. Pylori in the development of gastritis and peptic ulcer, as well as damage to the stomach and duodenum, was assessed,” explains E. Marciuškienė.
According to her, H. Pylori works by attacking the lining that protects the stomach by producing an enzyme called urease. The latter neutralizes the release of stomach acids, which weakens the mucous membrane of this organ.
A weak gastric mucosa becomes an excellent medium for the development of gastritis, the formation of ulcers in the stomach and duodenum. In this case, a person begins to suffer from dull or burning pain in the abdomen, which intensifies 2-3 hours after a meal, as well as at night, when the stomach is empty.
“The pain you feel can last from a few minutes to hours, and recur irregularly: every few days or even weeks. At the same time, satiety is often felt, abdominal bloating, belching, nausea, vomiting appear, the color of feces darkens due to blood impurities.
Therefore, patients lose their appetite and lose weight. “Unfortunately, these symptoms can be associated with many different diseases or even the simplest poisoning, intolerance of certain foods, so people who experience them are often not inclined to go to doctors for additional tests,” says the doctor.
It can even cause stomach cancer
E. Marciuškienė says that one of the main risk factors for H. Pylori infection is age – more than half of people with this bacterium are over 50 years old. Children are also often infected with it, approximately 5%. children up to 10 years of age.
The bacterium is more common in developing countries, where large numbers of people live in smaller spaces, there are no good sanitary conditions, and poorer hygiene control. A person’s race or ethnic group has a significant influence – studies show that almost half of the population of Eastern Europe has H. Pylori bacteria.
“Unfortunately, health professionals cannot say exactly how H. Pylori infection is spread, but it is believed that the germs can be transmitted through saliva, such as kissing, sneezing, sharing cutlery.
This bacterium is also found in dental plaque and feces, so the infection can also be contracted through close skin-to-skin contact, if hands were not thoroughly washed after defecation. “Scientists believe that H. Pylori can also spread through contaminated water and food,” the doctor notes.
Although many people are believed to have this bacteria in their stomachs, and although the bacteria itself does not cause disease, H. pylori leads to a chronic infection that is often the cause of comorbidities, affecting about 15 to 20 percent, she said. carriers.
Untreated H. Pylori is a major etiological factor in active chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric cancer. Scientists believe that people who carry H. Pylori have as much as 6 times the risk of developing stomach cancer, which usually affects the lower parts of this organ.
“Because of its role in causing stomach cancer, H. pylori was classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer 20 years ago, and just a few years ago it was listed by the National Toxicology Program as a chronic infection that is a significant cause of cancer. While gastritis or peptic ulcers and the symptoms they cause can be cured, stomach cancer kills about 100,000 people every year. in the world of people’s lives”, reminds E. Marciuškienė.
Research can help you avoid bad scenarios
The doctor of laboratory medicine states that when H. Pylori infection is suspected, laboratory tests must be performed. Both for the detection of H. Pylori and for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment, the most convenient and accurate method is the stool test, which detects the H. pylori antigen.
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, when a small tissue sample is taken from the stomach or intestinal mucosa, also helps to diagnose the bacteria. The latter can help measure the level of the enzyme urease and investigate whether H. Pylori is hiding behind it.
“Blood tests can also be useful in confirming the diagnosis – they show whether the infection-fighting antibodies have formed in the blood.
However, unfortunately, when an increased concentration of antibodies is detected, it is not possible to distinguish whether the infection was in the past or is currently present, since serological tests can remain positive many years after successful treatment of H. Pylori.
However, given that the serological test is more convenient and more acceptable to many patients than the detection of H. Pylori antigen in the stool, it can be useful for self-testing, purchasing special tests from pharmacies or performing mass screening for H. Pylori for the prevention of gastric cancer. In such a case, after receiving a positive result, it is always recommended to perform a more accurate, confirmatory test of the antigen in the feces”, explains doctor E. Marciuškienė.
She adds that if the bacteria is detected early, patients are treated with a combination of antibiotics and other medications that fight the infection and help reduce stomach acid.
However, not everyone succeeds in completely eliminating the H. Pylori bacterium, but approximately 80-90 percent. patients, so it is necessary to repeatedly contact the doctors for confirmation of the success of the treatment and prevention of the recurrence of the bacteria. The doctor adds that there is a prevailing saying among gastroenterologists: “The only good H. Pylori bacterium is a dead bacterium.”
2024-05-10 09:41:16