Affects: Stomach2–4 h
Helicobacter pylori infection
A bacterium able to survive in stomach acid. It colonises the gastric lining and is the main cause of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer.
A remarkably well-adapted bacterium
Helicobacter pylori produces an enzyme that neutralises the acid around it and uses its flagella to burrow into the stomach mucus layer. That is how it survives in an environment that would kill almost any other microorganism. It infects roughly half the world population, with higher prevalence in Latin America.
Why it matters
Most infected people never develop symptoms. But it causes the majority of gastric and duodenal ulcers, produces chronic gastritis, and the World Health Organization classifies it as a class I carcinogen: it is the leading known risk factor for gastric cancer.
Diagnosis and treatment
It is detected by urea breath test, stool antigen test, or biopsy during endoscopy. Treatment combines antibiotics with an acid-suppressing drug for 10 to 14 days. Two points are critical: completing the full course even if symptoms improve sooner, and confirming eradication with a follow-up test four weeks later.
About resistance
Incomplete or repeated courses breed antibiotic resistance and make the bacterium far harder to eradicate later. That is why the regimen must be the right one from the first attempt and always prescribed by a professional.
When something goes wrong
- GastritisInflammation of the stomach lining. It can be acute and short-lived or chronic, and in many cases the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is behind it.
- Peptic ulcerAn open sore in the wall of the stomach or the first part of the small intestine, where acid has eroded the tissue.
- Functional dyspepsiaPersistent upper abdominal discomfort with no lesion to explain it. The stomach is not damaged, but it functions and perceives abnormally.
