H. pylori Infection: The Stomach Bacterium Behind Most Peptic Ulcers

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria that infects the stomach. It is the main cause of peptic ulcers, and it can also cause gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) and stomach cancer.

About 30 to 40% of people in the United States get an H. pylori infection, most of them as children. It usually causes no symptoms. In some people, though, it breaks down the stomach's protective inner lining and causes inflammation, which can lead to gastritis or a peptic ulcer.

How it spreads

Researchers aren't sure. They think it may spread through unclean food and water, or through contact with an infected person's saliva and other body fluids.

Symptoms of a peptic ulcer

• a dull or burning stomach pain, especially when the stomach is empty, lasting minutes to hours and coming and going for days or weeks;
• bloating;
• nausea;
• weight loss.

Testing

If you have symptoms of a peptic ulcer, your health care provider will check for H. pylori using blood, breath or stool tests. Some people need an upper endoscopy, often with a biopsy.

Treatment

A peptic ulcer caused by H. pylori is treated with a combination of antibiotics and acid-reducing medicines. You'll need to be tested again afterward to make sure the infection is gone.

Prevention

There is no vaccine for H. pylori. Because it may spread through unclean food and water, you may be able to lower your risk by:

• washing your hands after using the bathroom and before eating;
• eating food that has been properly prepared;
• drinking water from a clean, safe source.

Sources

Based on "Helicobacter pylori Infections," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH); a work of the United States government in the public domain.