H. PYLORI STOMACH INFECTION
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria. Researchers believe that H. pylori bacteria are responsible for the majority of peptic ulcers. H. pylori infection is common in the United States. About 20 percent of people under 40 years old and half of those over 60 years have it. Most infected people, however, do not develop ulcers. It is not known why H. pylori bacteria do not cause ulcers in every infected person. It is most likely that infection depends on characteristics of the infected person, the type of H. pylori, and other factors yet to be discovered. Researchers are not certain how people contract H. pylori, but they think it may be through food or water.
Researchers have found H. pylori in the saliva of some infected people, so the bacteria may also spread through mouth-to-mouth contact such as kissing. Diagnosis of infection is usually made by checking for dyspeptic symptoms and by tests which can indicate H. pylori infection. One can test noninvasively for H. pylori infection with a blood antibody test, stool antigen test, or with the carbon urea breath test. However, the most reliable method for detecting H. pylori infection is a biopsy check during endoscopy with a rapid urease test (Sources: National Institutes of Health/ Wikipedia)
