The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, what is it and how to treat it?

Helicobacter pylori is a unique pathogenic microorganism, which is the causative agent of such a dangerous disease as helikobakterioz.This pathology, which often affects the stomach, but can also develop in the PDK.

Its name was given to the bacterium due to the medium in which it lives - the pyloric part of the stomach. The peculiarity of the microorganism is that it is able to resist even gastric acid. The bacterium has flagella, with which it freely moves along the walls of the stomach, or is reliably fixed on them.

Helicobacter pylori can lead to the development of a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, as it multiplies, it causes irritation of its mucous membranes and, consequently, inflammatory processes. In this case, it is not only about gastritis or peptic ulcer, but also about the development of the oncological process. If the treatment is started in time, it is possible to prevent dangerous consequences that can be caused by the vital activity of this bacterium.

History of discovery

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Spiral-like pathogens, inhabiting the human stomach, were described 100 years ago by Polish professor V. Yavorsky. After some time, scientist G. Bidzodzero discovered the same bacteria on the mucous membranes of the stomach in animals. For many years the eyes closed on this infection, unaware of its danger, but in the late 70s of the past century scientist Robert Warren noted that these bacteria live on the inflamed gastric mucosa.

As it turned out, the life activity of these microorganisms was studied, albeit not completely, and described by German scientists. However, in those days it was not given much importance. Warren, having joined forces with Barry Marshall, began to conduct research for a detailed study of the characteristics of these bacteria. Over a long period of time to isolate the culture of microorganisms failed, but scientists, however, smiled luck. During the Easter holidays, the laboratory staff accidentally left cups with bacterial crops not for 2, but for 5 days. Thanks to this case, scientists have recorded the growth of colonies of unknown microorganisms.

The bacteria were given the original name Campylobacter pyloridis, because by their features they resembled microorganisms belonging to the genus Campylobacter. In 1983, scientists first published the results of their research. However, a little later the researchers had to refute their previous discoveries, as it soon became clear, that to the genus Campylobacteria, the representatives of pathogenic microflora are not related. Based on this, the detected microorganisms were renamed Helicobacter pylori.

To prove the ability of a microorganism to cause JBW, B. Marshall in 1985 swallowed his culture. However, there was a development of not an ulcer, but a gastritis, which passed independently. Thanks to this experiment, the scientist managed to prove that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is the cause of gastritis development. In 2005, Warren and Marshall received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for their sensational discovery.

Features of bacteria

The first feature of this microorganism is its ability to withstand a very acidic gastric environment, while most bacteria and viruses simply die. Helicobacter pylori can also be adjusted to the level of gastric acidity, using 2 mechanisms:

Upon ingestion into the stomach, the bacterium begins to move along the mucous membranes. She does this with her flagella. Taking shelter in the mucous membranes of the stomach, the microorganism protects their cells from excess amounts of acids. Simply put, the bacterium "chooses" the most optimal habitat for itself.
H. pylori provokes the production of ammonia, which reduces the acidity of the stomach. Due to this, the microorganism can conveniently be located on the walls of the organ, remaining in its place for many years.

The second feature of the bacterium is its ability to cause inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Breeding, it causes slow destruction of the gastric cells, and the substances released by it, cause chronic inflammation and gastritis. With the weakening of the mucosa of the duodenum and the stomach, ulcers and erosions begin to form, which increase the risk of cancer. For this reason, many gastroenterologists reasonably consider Helicobacter Pylori as a provoker of oncological processes in the stomach.

To get rid of pathology it is possible only after the course of antibiotic therapy. Antimicrobial drugs regulate the level of gastric acidity. Specific drugs can be prescribed only by a gastroenterologist, by conducting the necessary examinations and referring the patient to additional instrumental diagnostic procedures.

How is H. transmitted? pylori?

Infection with this bacterium can be mainly two ways - oral-fecal and oral-oral. However, there is an opinion that a microorganism can be transferred from a cat to a host, or when the infection is transferred by flies. The most infectious are young children.

Transfer from one person to another occurs in 3 ways:

Iatrogenic, when infection is caused by diagnostic procedures. So, you can bring the infection during the endoscopy or other poorly sterilized medical instruments that have had direct contact with the patient's stomach mucosa.
Fecal-oral. The bacterium is released together with the calves. Infect bacteria by contact with contaminated water or food.
Oral-oral. Gastroenterologists are confident that H. pylori also lives in the oral cavity. Therefore, the infection can be transmitted by kissing, using someone else's toothbrush or poorly washed cutlery.

Although Helicobacter pylori is able to cause histological gastritis in all infected people, signs of pathology are manifested in rare cases. Less often than gastritis develops JBW, and extremely rarely - stomach cancer.

Symptoms of infection

After entering the stomach, the bacterium begins to actively release the products of its vital activity. They irritate the mucosa, resulting in inflammation. Clinical symptoms of Helicobacter pylori depend on its shape.

There are five such, we will consider each of them in more detail:

Latent or asymptomatic form, when the infected person does not have any alarming symptoms, especially if his immunity is strong enough to withstand Helicobacter. But even if the clinical picture does not manifest itself, a person is still a carrier, and can infect others. When the bacteria stay in the stomach for a long time, serious complications may arise, one of which is stomach cancer.
Acute gastritis is a disease manifested by epigastric pain, nausea, loss of appetite. The disease can go into a chronic form with periodic relapses.
Chronic gastritis. This pathology is one of the main manifestations of Helicobacteriosis. During an exacerbation the patient complains of stomach pains, attacks of nausea, sometimes with vomiting, headaches, loss of appetite. The patient does not leave heartburn, a feeling of swelling, belching, attacks of meteorisms. Also there are nonspecific symptoms in the form of bleeding gums and bad breath.
Chronic gastroduodenitis, when the pathological process affects the duodenum. The clinical picture resembles the symptoms of gastritis, but with gastroduodenitis disorders of stool, in particular, constipation, are possible. The patient loses his appetite, complains of nausea, his sleep is disturbed. Changes in mucous membranes are detected only during endoscopy. Lesions can be mild, moderate or severe.
JBW, which can occur for other reasons (alcoholism, tobacco smoking, frequent stress, harmful work, etc.). Erosions and sores are formed with a deeper lesion of the mucous membranes of the stomach. There is a pathology of a large number of symptoms: pain in the stomach, nausea, the appearance of a white coating on language, nausea, flatulence, vomiting, indigestion, weight in the epigastric region, heartburn, etc.

If we talk about the out-of-stomach symptoms, then the patient with Helicobacteriosis has a subcutaneous or skin rash in the form of small white or pink pimples. As a rule, they are located on the face. Often this disease causes the development of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, flat lichen, erythema.

Analysis for Helicobacter pylori

Diagnosis can be invasive (endoscopy followed by biopsy of gastric tissues) and non-invasive (laboratory studies). Of course, the most accurate and reliable is the invasive technique, because by taking tissues of the gastric mucosa by a medical specialist a thorough investigation of the biomaterial for the detection of foci of inflammation and the bacteria themselves. In addition to microscopic examination, a sample of gastric tissue can be subjected to different laboratory tests.

All laboratory studies are aimed at identifying Helicobacter pylori and evaluation of its vital activity. Throughout its life cycle, the microorganism splits gastric urea to ammonia, thus creating favorable living conditions for itself. If you place a piece of gastric mucosa infected with Helicobacter pylori, into urea, ammonia will be released. Due to this, the level of alkalinity of the solution will increase, but these changes can be detected only with the help of special test strips. Indicators operate according to the principle of litmus paper.

But to detect the disease, it is not necessary to perform FGDS or a biopsy study - you can use another technique. A test with 13 urea helps to detect the presence of infection absolutely painlessly and immediately begin treatment.

Possible complications

With the timely initiation of therapy, dangerous consequences can be prevented. In addition, the risk of infection of other people will be completely ruled out.

If we talk about complications, then they can manifest themselves through development:

chronic or atrophic gastritis;
JAB and KDP;
Oncology of the stomach;
Endocrine pathologies caused by atrophy of the epithelial covering of the stomach.

To avoid such consequences, self-treatment is strictly not recommended. It is better to entrust this issue to a qualified gastroenterologist.

Treatment Helicobacter pylori

Before the treatment of Helicobacter pylori, the degree of gastric lesion and the contamination of its walls is evaluated. The fact is that in some people these microorganisms eventually become one of the types of conditionally pathogenic microflora, so they can not manifest themselves in any way.

If the bacterium does not harm the health of its carrier, there is no manipulation to remove it. But to cure the infection will need the use of powerful antibacterial drugs. They, in turn, are able to significantly weaken the immunity and cause the development of intestinal dysbiosis.

On a note.You can not resort to the use of folk remedies for the treatment of Helicobacteriosis. The use of decoctions and infusions can only temporarily "lull" the symptoms of the disease, forcing the patient to postpone the visit to the doctor. The disease, meanwhile, will only progress, which in the future can cause serious complications.

Therapeutic regimens

The Helicobacter pylori regimen requires a comprehensive medical approach. Usually the patient is prescribed 2 drugs, which are selected individually. Plus, everything is mandatory appointed one remedy from the group of proton pump inhibitors.

The duration of treatment is determined by a gastroenterologist after a thorough examination of the patient and evaluation of the severity of the disease. The duration of the course of therapy is 14-21 days. After his graduation, the doctor conducts repeated laboratory tests to confirm the complete recovery of the patient.

Antibiotics

Despite the fact that Helicobacter pylori belongs to a group of pathogenic bacteria, not all antimicrobial drugs can destroy it.

The microorganism quickly develops resistance to antibacterial substances, which greatly complicates the process of recovery. Sometimes a doctor has to combine several drugs at once to achieve positive dynamics, to that the acidic environment of the stomach can interfere with the activation of the components of drugs and slow the process of therapy.

Antibiotic therapy for Helicobacteriosis involves the use of the following drugs:

Clarithromycin
preparations of cephalosporin series;
Azithromycin;
Levofloxacin.

The highest effect in the treatment of inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and formed on it ulcers is the preparation Amoxicillin and its analogue Flemoxin Solutab. It is possible to use other antibacterial drugs - Augmentin and Amoxiclav. They include clavulanic acid, which prevents the production of specific enzymes by microorganisms. This, in turn, prevents the development of resistance by the microorganism H. pylori.

Bismuth preparations of tricalium dicitrate

Most often for the treatment of diseases caused by helicobacteriosis, the drug De-Nol is used, which contains the active substance tricium dicitrate. Due to this, there is a significant decrease in the production of biological compounds that promote the growth and reproduction of pathogenic microflora.

The De-Nol action is aimed at:

violation of the permeability of cell membranes;
change in the membrane structure of cells.

In the chemical interaction of tricalium dicitrate with protein compounds of the gastric mucosa, high-molecular complexes are formed. Due to this on the surface of sores and erosions a strong protective film is formed, which prevents the ingestion of gastric juice on the damaged parts of the gastric mucosa.

After passing the full course of De-Nol therapy, the resistance of the gastrointestinal mucosa to pepsin and hydrochloric acid increases.

Proton Pump Blockers

To effectively and more quickly get rid of Helicobacter pylori in the treatment scheme include proton pump inhibitors. Due to the components included in their composition, complex biological processes are started, which lead to a decrease in the production of hydrochloric acid by the stomach.

The most effective blockers (inhibitors) of proton pump include the following drugs:

Omeprazole (Omez, Ultop).
Rabeprazole (analogues - Khayrabesol, Beret).
Pantoprazole (analogues - Controls, Nolpaz).

With a decrease in the acidity of the stomach, the process of repairing damaged tissues starts. It creates unfavorable conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms, and in particular, H. pylori.

In addition, proton pump inhibitors significantly increase the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat diseases caused by this bacterium. With this in mind, gastroenterologists often reduce the dose of antimicrobials. This has a beneficial effect on the state of the intestinal microflora and the general immunity of the patient.

Therapeutic diet

To normalize the work of the digestive tract throughout the course of treatment and after its completion, the patient must adhere to a special therapeutic diet. It implies the following rules:

The food should be fractional, that is, you need to eat a little, but often.
Exclude fried, fatty, spicy, spicy food, muffins and confectionery.
Observe the drinking regime.
Refuse alcohol and low alcohol drinks.
Exclude from the diet marinades, pickles, carbonated water, fast food and other harmful food.

At first, it will not be easy to observe such a rigid diet, but, taking care of one's health, the patient must do it. Over time, he will get used to such nutrition, and will not notice the restrictions in food.

Here is an approximate menu for patients with Helicobacter pylori:

Breakfast consists of oatmeal porridge, cheese cake from fresh cottage cheese and fruit compote.
At noon, you can eat a curd souffle and drink a cup of chamomile tea.
For lunch, you can eat soup based on chicken broth with low-fat meat, steam fish patties and stewed or fresh vegetables.
On the second snack - fruit or milk jelly with baked apples.
For dinner, you can eat turkey, steamed, and boiled potatoes.
At a late dinner allowed to consume kefir or a decoction of rose hips.

Dishes are selected individually, depending on the stage of the disease. Also, the risk of exacerbations, as well as other factors, is taken into account.

Prevention

To avoid infection, you must follow the simplest rules:

Wash hands thoroughly before meals, and after visiting the restroom;
use only their means and hygiene items (towels, toothbrushes, soap, etc.);
completely cure the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract;
to refuse from bad habits;
be sure to undergo routine preventive medical examinations.

To fix the results of treatment and strengthen immunity, the doctor will prescribe vitamin complexes, as well as drugs, which include the necessary microelements. But the patient himself must help his body to get stronger after the illness, giving up alcohol and smoking, and reconsidering his way of life.