Who should be tested for H. pylori, and how is it treated?
If you have recurring dyspepsia, it is common practice to test for H. pylori before doing any other tests. If H. pylori is found, then combination treatment is often given. The exact diagnosis may not be known. (For example, it might not be clear if the dyspepsia is caused by a duodenal or stomach ulcer, or functional dyspepsia, or gastritis, etc. These can only be confirmed by having a ‘look down’ into the gut with a test called gastroscopy.) However, if symptoms go after treating for H. pylori, then that is the end of the matter. You do not need further tests such as gastroscopy. You will not know exactly what caused the symptoms, but it does not matter if symptoms go as whatever was causing the symptoms will have gone!
