H Pylori Research Paper

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http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/h-pylori-cancer http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hpylori/ Characteristics Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, is a spiral-shaped bacterium that grows in the mucus layer that coats the inside of the human stomach. Note cards: Symptoms Most individuals infected with H. pylori have few or no symptoms. They may experience a few episodes of gastritis (minor belching, bloating, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort), but little or nothing else. Often, these symptoms simply cease. However, those individuals who have a more serious infection exhibit symptoms of stomach and duodenal ulcers or gastritis which include the following: Abdominal pain and/or discomfort that usually does…show more content…
pylori can be performed easily and rapidly. However, blood antibodies can persist for years after complete eradication of H. pylori with antibiotics. Therefore, blood antibody tests may be good for diagnosing infection, but they are not good for determining if antibiotics have successfully eradicated the bacterium. The urea breath test (UBT) is a safe, easy, and accurate test for the presence of H. pylori in the stomach. The breath test relies on the ability of H. pylori to break down the naturally occurring chemical, urea, into carbon dioxide which is absorbed from the stomach and eliminated from the body in the breath. Ten to 20 minutes after swallowing a capsule containing a minute amount of radioactive urea, a breath sample is collected and analyzed for radioactive carbon dioxide. The presence of radioactive carbon dioxide in the breath (a positive test) means that there is active infection. The test becomes negative (there is no radioactive carbon dioxide in the breath) shortly after eradication of the bacterium from the stomach with antibiotics. Since some individuals are concerned about even minute amounts of radioactivity the breath test has been modified so that it also may be performed with urea that is not…show more content…
pylori as well as the inflammation and ulcers that it causes. For endoscopy, the doctor inserts a flexible viewing tube (endoscope) through the mouth, down the esophagus, and into the stomach and duodenum. During endoscopy, small tissue samples (biopsies) from the stomach lining can be removed. A biopsy specimen is placed on a special slide containing urea (for example, CLO test slides). If the urea is broken down by H. pylori in the biopsy, there is a change in color around the biopsy on the slide. This means that there is an infection with H. pylori in the stomach. Biopsies also may be cultured in the bacteriology laboratory for the presence of H. pylori; however, this is done infrequently since other simpler tests are available. A recently-developed test for H. pylori is a test in which the presence of the bacterium can be diagnosed with a sample of stool. The test uses an antibody to H. pylori to determine if H. pylori is present in the stool. If it is, it means that H. pylori is infecting the stomach. Like the urea breath test, in addition to diagnosing infection with H. pylori, the stool test can be used to determine if eradication has been effective shortly after treatment. In 2012, the FDA gave approval for the urea breath test to be done in children aged 3 years to 17 years
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