subject: H. Pylori Bacteria [print this page] H. pylori, also known as Helicobacter pylori, is a kind of bacterium, which lives in the stomach and in a section of intestine known as the duodenum. It is present in as many as half of the people all around the world. However, many people may not show even a single symptom whereas others might posses a risk of developing serious complications such as ulcers and stomach cancer.
About 20% of people in the age group of less than 40 years posses H. pylori infection, majority of these are from the lower income groups whereas 50% of people above 60 years of age have H. pylori infection.
Diagnosis of H. pylori
H. pylori can be diagnosed by conducting a simple H. pylori test There are usually four tests, which help to detect the H. pylori bacterium. These are the blood antibody test, urea breath test, stool antigen test and stomach biopsy used during an endoscopy.
Treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection
There is currently no vaccination which prevents H. pylori and it is treated with medication when diagnosed. The normal procedure to treat helicobacter pylori is to eradicate it from the stomach and then allowing the ulcer to heal. A combination of medications can help to treat the helicobacter infection. These medications include proton pump inhibitors such as the pantoprazole (protonix), omeprazole (prilosec), rabeprazole (Aciphex), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and esomeprazole (Nexium) and several histamine (H-2) blockers such as the ranitidine (Zantac), Cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid) and nizatidine (Axid).
