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| What is Helicobacter pylori infection and whom does it affect? |
What is Helicobacter pylori infection and whom does it affect?
Helicobacter pylori (commonly just called H. pylori) is a bacterium (germ). It can infect the lining of the stomach and duodenum. It is one of the most common infections in the UK although it is getting less common as time goes by. More than a quarter of people in the UK become infected with H. pylori at some stage in their life. Once you are infected, unless treated, the infection usually stays for the rest of your life.
Most people with H. pylori infection will never have any signs or symptoms. It's not clear why this is, but scientists believe some people may be born with more resistance to the harmful effects of H. pylori.
When signs or symptoms do occur with H. pylori infection, they may include:
- An ache or burning pain in your abdomen
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Frequent burping
- Bloating
- Weight loss
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any persistent signs and symptoms that worry you. Seek immediate medical help if you experience:
Severe or persistent abdominal pain
Difficulty swallowing
Bloody or black tarry stools
Bloody or black vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
How is Helicobacter pylori cleared from the stomach and duodenum?
H. pylori is killed by certain antibiotics. However, a combination of medicines is needed to get rid of it completely. You need to take two antibiotics at the same time.
Are there any side-effects of combination therapy?
Up to 3 in 10 people develop some side-effects when they take combination therapy. These include: indigestion, feeling sick, diarrhoea, and headaches.
QUESTION AND ANSWERS:
QUESTION: Do antibiotics kill good bacteria?
Karen - A lot of antibiotics prescribed are indiscriminate and they will kill our good bacteria as well as the targeted bacteria that they want to kill. They do destroy your gut bacteria and that's sometimes why, when you take a course of antibiotics, you get an upset stomach, diarrhoea et cetera. The best way to try and avoid that is to take some of these probiotic yogurts whilst you're taking the course of antibiotics and possibly for a week or so afterwards. Just to give your own bacteria a chance to recover because although a certain number of your own bacteria will get killed, and that can cause the upset stomach, there are still enough left there that they will regenerate once the antibiotic pressure is removed.
Chris - It’s often said that the spectrum of bugs that you have in your intestines is more unique to you than your own fingerprint is. So if antibiotics wipe out some of those bacteria, can you actually get back the very ones you had before or do you end up substituting some that are vaguely right, but they're not exactly what you had previously?
Karen - Generally, they do all come back because if you imagine the surface of the gut is like your fingers. There are deep crypts and everything is in there, so the bacteria find hiding places away from the antibiotics. So generally, most of them come back again. There are certain bacteria that seem to be particularly susceptible and can get lost. One of them for example is a species called oxalobacter and if you don't have oxalobacter, you're more likely to get kidney stones. Oxalobacter can be eliminated forever with certain antibiotics.
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