Pylori the Cause of Peptic

Pylori the Cause of Peptic Ulcers

Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) is known to be a bacteria found in the inner lining of the human stomach. Once in the stomach lining, it is known to produce a lot of chemicals into the human stomach that potentially damage the stomach lining. The infection is very difficult to eradicate and can persist for years over and even in some cases for life (Gastroenterological Society of Australia, 2006).

H. pylori causes inflammation of the persistent inflammation of the inner lining of the stomach (gastritis) hence counted as one of the top causes of ulcers in the world. It has been observed that the H. pylori is commonly spread or transmitted through contaminated food or water or through infected person to another person contact (Dennis Lee, 2011).

Dennis further estimates that 30% of all Americans are infected by the bacterium and among them, 50% are infected at the age of 60 years and above as Dennis Lee postulates. The infection is very common among the people living under crowded neighborhoods since it is easy to pass it from one person to the other as well as from one family to the next. Poor sanitation also exacerbates the situation with an estimated 90% of the adults living in the extremely poor sanitation conditions being prone to infection.

Once the person is infected, he carries the infection indefinitely unless he undergoes thorough treatment and medication to eradicate the bacterium from the body. It is estimated that one out of every six patients of the bacterium will suffer from ulcers of the duodenum or stomach. H. pylori is also associated with the stomach cancer and to some extent the rare kind of lymphocytic tumor of the stomach called MALT lymphoma.

Diagnosis of H. pylori

There are accurate and quite simple ways of diagnosing the presence of H. Pylori in the contemporary medical fields. These tests include urea breath test, endoscopic biopsies (gastroscopy), antibody test and stool antigen tests.

Antibody testing; this relies on the detection of lgG antibodies that are specific to the H. pylori bacterium. It is widely used because it is cheap and readily available. There are various testing mechanisms available like Western blot testing, immunochromatography, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, this test can only be used to detect the presence of H. pylori and not to confirm the effectiveness of the antibiotics administered since there can be persistent presence of the antibodies even after the H. pylori has been cleared (The BreathID System, 2011).

Endoscopy (gastroscopy); this is where the physicians take a clear look at the condition in the digestive tract and extracting samples of the stomach or intestinal lumen for further analysis. This is hardly used for detection of H. pylori alone but for ruling out the existence of other stomach maladies. It is quite expensive and requires a highly skilled physician.

Stool Antigen Test; this is when the stool is analyzed for detection of any foreign antigens or proteins that are associated with H. pylori infection. The stool is known to be very sensitive and can also be use to assess the infection status after the treatment has commenced. The disadvantage of this method is that it absolutely depends upon the participation and compliance of the patient, it is inconvenient to handle and the results are not immediate.

Urea breath test; it is used to detect the presence of H. pylori bacteria in the stomach. It can also be used to detect whether the treatment has worked, the problem with this test is that it is not always available (WebMD LLC, 2011).

Treatment of H. pylori

There are a series of pharmacological therapy that have been used in treating the H. pylori bacterium in the human body. The following are the most common pharmacological therapy as indicated in American Academy of Family Physicians (2002);

Antibiotics; here antibiotics like Amoxicillin which is a synthetic penicillin is proven to be one of the most effective antibiotic for H. pylori. This rug has the ability to rapidly accumulate into antral mucosa through the systematic circulation. The effectiveness of this drug highly depends on the pH level, with the increase in pH level there is a reduction in the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).