Physical examination revealed Helicobacter pylori, does it need to be cured? Doctor: It depends on the situation!

You must have heard of a bacterium called "Helicobacter pylori", which is the only bacterium that can live in the stomach.

　　In the list of carcinogens published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Helicobacter pylori is in the ranks of a class of carcinogens, which means that the carcinogenicity of Helicobacter pylori to the human body has been clinically clarified, and the most relevant type of cancer is gastric cancer.

　　Because of this, hospitals and medical examination centers in many regions of China have launched Helicobacter pylori screening packages, and more and more people are aware of the harm of Helicobacter pylori. But what you don't know is that the total infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in China is actually high, even reaching about 56.22% , and nearly 780 million people are infected with this bacterium.

　　The reason for this is because the transmission channels of Helicobacter pylori are mouth-to-mouth and fecal-oral transmission, and China adopts the eating habit of shared meals and shared tableware , so as long as one person in a family is infected with this bacteria, the whole family will be infected. Almost no one is spared.

　　However, more than 80% of infected people have no symptoms, and only 10-15% of infected people will develop gastritis, gastric ulcer and other diseases because of it, and it is based on a long-term unhealthy diet. .

　　As for the patients with Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric cancer, it is less than 1%, and they are basically based on improper treatment of chronic gastric diseases.

　　So the question is, just from this point of view, Helicobacter pylori does not seem to be a threat. Does it need radical cure?

　　First of all, the effect of Helicobacter pylori on the stomach has been confirmed by clinical The younger the age of first infection with this bacteria, the higher the chance of chronic gastritis in the future.

　　Nearly 60-80% of gastric ulcers and nearly 95% of duodenal ulcers are related to Helicobacter pylori. Moreover, there is a parallel relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer mortality.

　　However, in the clinical view, if Helicobacter pylori infection is positive, whether it needs treatment or not requires comprehensive consideration in many aspects. This includes whether the infected person has clinical symptoms, whether there is stomach discomfort or disease, whether there is a family history of gastric cancer, and so on .

　　If the infected person has chronic gastric disease, including gastric ulcer, erosion or damage gastritis, after the positive Helicobacter pylori is detected , in order to promote the recovery of the disease, it is necessary to cooperate with the doctor for Helicobacter pylori radical treatment.

　　As far as the current clinical medical technology is concerned, there are two main screening methods for Helicobacter pylori, namely invasive and non-invasive tests. The representative of invasive examination is histological examination and gastroscope presentation. Non-invasive inspection items include urea breath test, serological test, stool hp antigen test and so on.

　　Among them, the most widely used and recognized way to detect Helicobacter pylori is the breath test, which is divided into carbon 13 and carbon 14 tests . Clinically, carbon-14 breath test is recommended for everyone. It has many advantages, such as its safety and non-invasiveness, no pain, fast and simple, high sensitivity, specificity , etc., and it is suitable for a wide range of people.

　　If you have chronic stomach problems, or have a family history of gastric cancer, you have long-term symptoms of stomach discomfort. Everyone should be vigilant and seek medical attention in time for Helicobacter pylori screening. After it is determined to be positive for infection, if necessary, the doctor's advice and arrangements should be followed for treatment.

　　In addition, because this bacterium has the characteristics of family infection, other family members should also carry out relevant inspections, and make the tableware used separately and divided into meals to avoid the problem of cross infection.