Helicobacter pylori Infection
  Patient Information

Helicobacter pylori and gastric diseases
Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped micro-organism that infects the human stomach promoting a local inflammatory reaction. This infection is affecting more than 50% of the world population and is normally acquired in early childhood.
The infection can be asymptomatic for many years, but people infected have an increased risk of developing gastritis, gastric ulcers or other gastrointestinal problems. The vast majority of ulcers are attributable to H.pylori bacteria, and there is now evidence that certain types of stomach cancer are also linked to it.
Typical symptoms are heartburn and abdominal pain, which can often be temporarily relieved by acid blockers.

A specific treatment is available
As most infectious diseases, there are specific therapies for eliminating the infection.
These are combining two antibiotics and an additional medicine that neutralizes stomach acid, to be taken for 1-2 weeks. Since a re-infection is very unlikely, a successful treatment will provide a complete and permanent recovery. It is very important to verify the effectiveness of the therapy, because in some cases it fails, due to bacterial antibiotic resistance, and a second different regimen is required.

The diagnosis can be simple
If an endoscopy is clinically indicated, the infection can be diagnosed from biopsies taken from the stomach mucosa.
Two non-invasive tests have been used for several years.
Specific antibodies can be detected in a blood specimen, but this test does not tell if the patient is currently infected or had the infection in the past.
The second test is called Urea Breath Test (UBT) and is highly accurate. This test confirms the presence of Helicobacter pylori by detecting the presence of an enzyme produced by the bacteria. The patient, fasting, must ingest a special compound and collect a breath sample, which is then analyzed in a laboratory.
More recently, Meridian Bioscience developed a very simple and accurate test (HpSA, Helicobacter pylori Stool Antigen) able to diagnose the infection from a faecal specimen. The patient needs to collect a small amount of stool at home, into an empty container, without any need for fasting. The specimen will then be delivered to a laboratory for the analysis. The HpSA can be used for diagnosing the infection and for the therapy follow-up.

Ask your Doctor
If you suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, consult your Doctor, which will prescribe you the suitable diagnostic tests and therapies.
If you wish to get more information on the HpSA test and where it can be performed, contact us.