What is H. pylori?
Helicobacter pylori (h. pylori) is a certain bacterium that is thought to cause the majority of all peptic ulcers. Peptic ulcers are stomach and duodenal ulcers. In the U.S. over 20 percent of the population under the age of 40 and over 50 percent of the population above the age of 60 are infected with h. pylori. However, that does not necessarily mean that the infected person will also develop a peptic ulcer. Whether an infected person develops an ulcer will depend on certain characteristics of the person, the type of h. pylori and other factors that still need to be discovered. It may be genetically predetermined. In the stomach, the h. pylori bacteria weaken the protective mucus coating of the stomach or duodenal. Digestive stomach acids can then irritate the stomach lining which can lead to a sore or an ulcer. Statistically 20 million Americans develop at least one stomach ulcer during their lifetime. Researchers are now even trying to find a connection between h.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral-shaped bacterium that is found in the gastric mucous layer or adherent to the epithelial lining of the stomach. H. pylori causes more than 90% of duodenal ulcers and up to 80% of gastric ulcers. Before 1982, when this bacterium was discovered, spicy food, acid, stress, and lifestyle were considered the major causes of ulcers. The majority of patients were given long-term medications, such as H2 blockers, and more recently, proton pump inhibitors, without a chance for permanent cure. These medications relieve ulcer-related symptoms, heal gastric mucosal inflammation, and may heal the ulcer, but they do NOT treat the infection. When acid suppression is removed, the majority of ulcers, particularly those caused by H. pylori, recur. Since we now know that most ulcers are caused by H. pylori, appropriate antibiotic regimens can successfully eradicate the infection in most patients, with complete resolution of mucosal inflammation and a minimal cha
