Helicobacter pylori can spread within families, so it is best to “gather together and share meals” during the Spring Festival reunion

A friend told Huazi that he had stomach discomfort a while ago and went to the hospital to find out that he had Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, but he was too busy with work and never received treatment. Recently, he was going home for the Chinese New Year and there might be many drinking parties. He asked Huazi if he could drink alcohol if he had Helicobacter pylori infection and what he should pay attention to?

Huazi told him that alcohol and Helicobacter pylori would damage the gastric mucosa, which would most likely worsen his condition, so it was best not to drink. And when reuniting with relatives and friends, they should adopt a separate dining system, otherwise he might "cheat" his relatives and friends.

1. A "carcinogenic bacteria" with an infection rate of 60% According to the data in the "Chinese Expert Consensus on Helicobacter pylori Eradication and Gastric Cancer Prevention and Control", the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in my country is 40% to 60%. In addition, Helicobacter pylori infection can cause chronic active gastritis, gastric mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, and has the risk of inducing intestinal gastric cancer.

Experts agree that Helicobacter pylori infection is the main cause of gastric cancer in my country. Eradicating Helicobacter pylori can reduce the risk of gastric cancer and effectively prevent it. However, Helicobacter pylori may still cause repeated infection after eradication, so prevention is even more important.

2. Helicobacter pylori is mainly transmitted within the family. Helicobacter pylori is an infectious disease that is transmitted through oral-oral and fecal-oral routes. Sharing tableware with an infected person is an important route of transmission. When dining out, if tableware is not thoroughly disinfected or food is not fully cooked, it is easy to be infected with Helicobacter pylori.

Moreover, once one family member is infected with the bacteria, it is very easy for other family members to be infected. Transmission within the family is the main route of Helicobacter pylori transmission.

Therefore, when people go home to reunite with relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year, they can get together, but it is best to adopt the system of separate meals and use public chopsticks and spoons when passing food to each other, which can block the spread of Helicobacter pylori.

3. Should Helicobacter pylori be eradicated when it is discovered? In the treatment of Helicobacter pylori, the traditional view is that most people infected with Helicobacter pylori will coexist with the bacteria without developing the disease. If there are no digestive tract symptoms, treatment can be temporarily withheld or carried out according to the patient's personal wishes.

However, the current consensus among experts is that people infected with Helicobacter pylori all have chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which is closely related to the occurrence of gastric cancer. After eradicating Helicobacter pylori, the inflammatory response of the gastric mucosa can be improved, preventing or delaying gastric mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia.

Gastric mucosal atrophy can be reversed, but intestinal metaplasia is difficult to reverse. Therefore, once Helicobacter pylori infection is discovered, the earlier it is eradicated, the better the prevention effect of gastric cancer.

4. What should be paid attention to when eliminating Helicobacter pylori? Expert consensus points out that Helicobacter pylori is a contagious disease, and paying attention to food hygiene can effectively prevent its infection. However, if there is no active intervention after the infection occurs, Helicobacter pylori infection will not disappear on its own.

When treating Helicobacter pylori, please be careful. The online rumors about drinking white wine, eating chili peppers, garlic, honey, yogurt, tea, and some health products claiming to eliminate Helicobacter pylori are not reliable.

The eradication of Helicobacter pylori usually adopts the "quadruple therapy", which is a combination of 1 proton pump inhibitor + 1 bismuth preparation + 2 antibiotics, and the treatment lasts about 14 days. Because of the existence of drug resistance, the eradication rate of one treatment is about 60% to 70%. If eradication fails, it is necessary to change the antibiotics and treat again after an interval of 3 to 6 months.

In summary, when you go home for the Spring Festival and have a meal with relatives and friends, it is best to adopt a separate dining system and use public chopsticks and spoons to avoid the spread of Helicobacter pylori within the family. In particular, parents should not feed their children mouth to mouth. If Helicobacter pylori infection is found, it is recommended to eradicate it in time to reduce the risk of gastric cancer. Drugs must be used under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.