Please only answer if qualified to do so, no wiki - what does H. pylori do?

Question

My mother is in hospital, and they have been interested in the presence of this bacteria for some time.

What is it likely to do, and how is it treated?

Answer 1

It's a bacteria that is present in the stomach of some people & can cause stomach ulcers,discomfort. Easily treated. Don't worry.

Answer 2

H. Pylori is a unique bacteria in that it can survive in the human stomach, an environment so acidic that no other known pathogenic bacteria can live there, most cannot even pass through it. H. Pylori is currently believe to be the root cause of most peptic ulcer disease. Almost everyone with recurrent stomach ulcers tests positive for it.

Basically the bacteria contains enzymes that break down nitrogen carrying molecules into ammonia. Ammonia is a toxic chemical your body spends a lot of trouble to lock up in safer molecules like urea. The ammonia damages the lining of the stomach, resulting in an ulcer, where the stomach acid contacts unprotected tissue - an ulcer.

H.Pylori is typically treated with two antibiotics for about 10-14 days to eliminate it. With the antibiotics, a drug called a proton-pump inhibitor is usually added to decreased the acid the stomach produces, and alleviate the discomfort involved in an ulcer. The bacteria can be resilient, antibiotic resistance is a common natural feature of it, which is why two antibiotics are used.

Answer 3

it is a bug that lives in the stomach, i am told that the new type of yohurts available are good to try and maintain this problem ,  

Answer 4

h.pylori is a bacteria that can cause some aggrivation but it generally treated with antibiotics and clears up asap.

It is so common that they even have an easy way to detect it in hospitals using a breathiliser type test - so don't worry.

The problem with it is the side effects it can cause, specifically in the GI tract. If it effects the stomach it can cause ulcers, which may need to be treated with something like a proton pump inhibitors (this is really common too, so don't worry).

However, most people who have H.pylori don't even present with any symptoms as it is very unlikely to cause any problems, and any problems it does cause are usually minor.

x