HELICOBACTER PYLORI

Helicobacter Pylori

Helicobacter Pylori

Introduction

The bacteria H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori) usually don't cause problems in childhood. However, if left untreated the bacteria can lead to digestive illnesses, including gastritis (the irritation and inflammation of the lining of the stomach), peptic ulcer disease (characterized by sores that form in the stomach or the upper part of the small intestine, called the duodenum), and even stomach cancer later in life.

These bacteria are found worldwide, but especially in developing countries, where up to 10% of children and 80% of adults can have laboratory evidence of an H. pylori infection — usually without having symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms

Anyone can have an H. pylori infection without knowing it as most H. pylori infections are "silent" and produce no symptoms. When the bacteria do cause symptoms, they're usually either symptoms of gastritis or peptic ulcer disease.

In kids, symptoms of gastritis may include nausea, vomiting, and frequent complaints about pain in the abdomen. However, these symptoms are seen in many childhood illnesses.

H. pylori, which used to be called Campylobacter pylori, can also cause peptic ulcers (commonly known as stomach ulcers). In older kids and adults, the most common symptom of peptic ulcer disease is a gnawing or burning pain in the abdomen, usually in the area below the ribs and above the navel. This pain often gets worse on an empty stomach and improves as soon as the person eats food, drinks milk, or takes antacid medicine.

Kids who have peptic ulcer disease can have ulcers that bleed, causing hematemesis (bloody vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds) or melena (stool that's black, bloody, or looks like tar). Younger children with peptic ulcer disease may not have symptoms as clear-cut, so their illness may be harder to diagnose.

Contagiousness

Scientists suspect that H. pylori infection may be contagious because the infection seems to run in families and is more common where people live in crowded or unsanitary conditions. Although research suggests that infection is passed from person to person, exactly how this happens isn't really known.

Diagnosis

Doctors can make the diagnosis of an H. pylori infection by using many different types of tests. Your doctor may:

look at the stomach lining directly. This is performed under sedation and involves inserting an endoscope — a small, flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end — down the throat and into the stomach and duodenum. The doctor may then take samples of ...