Helicobacteriosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. This microorganism is associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer and MALT-lymphoma (tumor disease of the lymphoid tissue of the gastric mucosa).
Most cases of Helicobacter infection occur in early childhood; adults are infected less frequently.
The main factor affecting the prevalence of infection worldwide is the level of hygiene and sanitation, as well as population density. In some countries, there is a pattern: the younger the generation, the fewer people infected with H. pylori, which can be attributed to the gradual development of sanitation services and improved health care systems.
Causes of Helicobacteriosis
The bacterium can be contracted through contact with contaminated water or food. Infection is possible during endoscopy and when using other poorly sterilized medical instruments that have had direct contact with the patient’s gastric mucosa.
Pathways of infection
Helicobacter pylori is found not only in humans, but also in domestic animals (cats, pigs), monkeys. All of them can spread the infection, as well as a human bacteriocarrier or a patient with helicobacteriosis.
Pathways of infection:
- Oral-oral, or mouth-to-mouth. This includes kissing, eating with shared utensils. From an infected person, the pathogen travels to healthy people. Shared items of personal oral care (toothbrush, toothpicks) contain remnants of dental plaque, saliva of a sick person, and they also contain bacteria.
- Fecal-oral. Fecal masses can get on dishes or in the water. Some farmers, gardeners use feces as fertilizer. From an overflowing cesspool, whole sewer pipes, sewage can get on the surface of the soil, where there are beds with vegetables, berries.
- Gastral-oral. Some patients have to walk with a tube inserted directly into the stomach (gastrostomy). If they are carriers of H. pylori, they can infect those who care for them. The harmful bacterium gets from the stoma onto unprotected hands, care items.
Saliva, feces of pets are also sources of infection.
Symptomatology
Helicobacteriosis can be asymptomatic for years. When an infected person has inflammation, then the clinical picture acquires clarity. But already at the first symptoms, the doctor should suspect the possibility of infection with Helicobacter pylori and prescribe a complete examination.
The patient presents the following complaints:
- Deteriorated appetite.
- After eating, heartburn, gagging, nausea, belching appear. Sometimes the regurgitated air has an unpleasant rotten odor.
- A person experiences a constant feeling of fatigue.
- In the stomach after eating there is a feeling of heaviness, overcrowding, even if little food is eaten.
- Mushy frequent stools or constipation.
- Flatulence, abdominal bloating.
When gastritis worsens, erosions, ulcers in the stomach or duodenum, the list of symptoms expands.
Manifestation of erosive ulcerative ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum are pains from hunger. They pass after eating, drinking milk.
In combination with such symptoms as increased fatigue with low physical activity, the release of black stool or vomit with an admixture of blood, we can talk about the diagnosis of “duodenal ulcer”.
Laboratory blood tests help to identify manifestations of helicobacteriosis, outwardly unrelated to the work of the intestine. Among them, a decrease in blood cells and platelet levels are of particular concern.
With anemia, oxygen delivery to tissues throughout the body is disturbed, leading to oxygen starvation. Due to the destruction of red blood cells, their insufficient synthesis, erythropenia occurs.
In the acute phase, it can have the following symptoms:
- with gastric bleeding is bloody vomiting;
- intestinal bleeding is accompanied by stools with blood, black color;
- with pulmonary bleeding is hemoptysis.
Visually, a patient with erythropenia has pale skin, bluish extremities, tremors, thirst, and fainting. In chronic erythropenia – shortness of breath, dizziness, tachycardia, cold skin of hands and feet, pale skin.
Complications of Helicobacteriosis
Pathogenic strains of H. pylori cause inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach or duodenum. As a result, chronic gastritis and duodenitis develops. In most people, it may not manifest itself in any way throughout life. If Helicobacteriosis is left untreated, more serious diseases can develop.
Common complications of Helicobacteriosis include:
- peptic ulcer disease;
- stomach cancer;
- MALT lymphoma (a tumor disease of the lymphoid tissue of the gastric mucosa).
In addition, H. pylori infection increases the risk of bleeding and ulcer formation in patients taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., aspirin).
Treatment of Helicobacteriosis
It is recommended to treat Helicobacter infection only if the patient has inflammatory diseases of the stomach or duodenum. It is not necessary to start antibacterial therapy solely because of the detection of H. pylori.
If the patient has an indication for eradication (eradication) of H. pylori, antibiotic treatment is prescribed. There are several therapeutic regimens that include one, two or three antibacterial drugs. Therapy can also be supplemented with agents that inhibit acid secretion and bismuth preparations.
Treatment takes 2 weeks. The effectiveness of treatment is evaluated 2-6 weeks after the last drug administration.
Prognosis and prevention
If the doctor’s recommendations are followed, the prognosis is usually favorable: Helicobacter pylori is completely destroyed. However, there may be a recurrence of infection, which can be avoided with the help of prophylaxis.
- The main preventive measures for Helicobacteriosis:
- observance of personal hygiene rules;
- strengthening of immunity;
- timely treatment of GI diseases;
- examination of people who have been in contact with infected persons;
- routine preventive examinations.
