When looking up causes for stomach ulcers or gastritis on the internet, many people will undoubtedly find the terms helicobacter pylori bacteria or H. pylori bacteria. They may wonder: what is H. pylori? How do I know if I have it? They may then turn to their healthcare professionals for testing.
Helicobacter pylori is a microaerophilic bacterium that inhabits various areas of the stomach and duodenum or upper portion of the small intestines. H. pylori causes a chronic, low-level inflammation of the stomach lining, caused by the large amounts of ammonia produced by the H. pylori bacteria. Its acquisition typically results in life-long infection and the development of chronic gastritis; and it is strongly linked to the development of gastric and duodenal ulcers as well as stomach cancer. In fact, H. pylori infection results in peptic ulcer disease in 10 to 20 percent of infected patients. More than 90% of peptic ulcers are associated with H. pylori infection.
Helicobacter pylori is most likely acquired by the ingestion of contaminated food or water and through person-to-person contact. It is believed that most individuals generally become infected as children.
Since individuals are often asymptomatic for years, a helicobacter pylori test is the only way to determine if the bacteria is present and enable medical professionals to diagnose and treat the infection.
For more information about how the BreathID breath test system is used to detect H. pylori at the point-of-care, please watch a short film on Urea Breath Tests or contact a company representative by completing the contact form.