Do you know Helicobacter pylori?

In my country, the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori is as high as 50%, and the incidence of gastric cancer ranks second among malignant tumors in my country. This is closely related to my country's traditional dining habits - family infection caused by oral transmission.

What is Helicobacter pylori?

Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped bacillus that colonizes the human gastric mucosa. It is micro-anaerobic and is the main cause of peptic ulcer occurrence and recurrence after treatment. Its detection rate in patients with duodenal ulcers is as high as 95% to 100%; in patients with gastric ulcers, its detection rate is over 70%.

What age group is more susceptible to Helicobacter pylori infection?

The infection rate of people aged 25 is close to 50%, that of people aged 35 is >60%, and that of people aged 70 and above is 78.9%. Children are at high risk of infection. In my country, people who acquire Helicobacter pylori infection are relatively young, and the infection rate increases with age.

What are the transmission routes of Helicobacter pylori?

Helicobacter pylori is mainly transmitted through oral-oral and fecal-oral transmission. Sharing meals, feeding children chewed food, blowing cool food with the mouth to feed children, kissing, using unclean tableware, etc. are all "oral-oral" transmission methods. In daily diet, it can survive for a certain period of time in water, milk, fast food, vegetables, juice, and different meats and seafood. Eating food containing Helicobacter pylori will increase the risk of infection. Studies have confirmed that its infection has a clear family clustering phenomenon. In families with Helicobacter pylori infection, the infection rate of other family members is 60%, while in families without infection, the infection risk is only 13%.

Which groups of people need to be screened for Helicobacter pylori infection?

1. People living in areas with high infection rates or high incidence of gastric cancer.

2. Family members of patients with gastric cancer, gastric mucosal precancerous lesions, and peptic ulcers.

Since the infection tends to cluster in families, first-degree relatives of gastric cancer patients are often at higher risk of infection. Therefore, family members living with such patients should be screened.

3. The general population who have stomach pain, bloating, acid reflux, belching and other digestive tract discomfort symptoms.