Helicobacter pylori (HP), this name is familiar to everyone.
It is a major cause of gastric cancer and is a known carcinogen [1,2].
In China, about 30% to 50% of people have been infected with Helicobacter pylori. This means that this dangerous carcinogen has been stationed in the stomachs of 400 million to 700 million people for a long time [3].
How do I know if I’m infected?
If an infection is found, should it be treated?
These questions can be answered in a newly published authoritative paper [4].
We’ve read through this informative paper and found some of the conclusions most relevant to your health.
Please read this article, it can really help you and your family!
The following four things are related to you and me.
1. Helicobacter pylori can be transmitted from person to person, especially family transmission[5-13]
If a parent has a Helicobacter pylori infection, the child’s infection rate is significantly higher.
Spouses, siblings, there are also transmission phenomena [5-12].
Why is this happening?
The main reason is the “common meal system” of the Chinese people.
Everyone is putting vegetables on the same plate and “exchanging” saliva, it is easy to “one person is recruited and the whole family is infected”.
(Dian Ge does not mean to criticize traditional culture, but for health reasons, it is recommended to use public chopsticks.)
2. The transmission route of Helicobacter pylori is mainly oral-oral and fecal-oral transmission[11,14-16]
Infection prevention is hidden here.
mouth-to-mouth transmission
Main ways: Don’t use public chopsticks to pick vegetables, chew food to feed children, etc.
Preventive measures: It is recommended that public chopsticks or a divided meal system, one per person, eat as much as you eat, and it is not easy to waste.
Even if you want to share meals, use public chopsticks, spoons, etc.
Parents, do not chew food and feed it to your baby.
Fecal-oral transmission
Main routes: Eat/drink food or water contaminated with faeces, and untreated water such as well water. (Because, Helicobacter pylori can be excreted through feces)
Precautions: Wash or cook food before eating and drink boiled water.
The freshly picked fruits and vegetables in the field should be washed before eating.
Utensil sharing
Main means: Sharing utensils or unsterile dental equipment, etc.
Precautionary measures: The tableware should be washed clean, and a disinfection cabinet can be purchased if conditions permit.
Family do not mix toothbrushes; visit a regular hospital stomatology department or a stomatology hospital for dental cleaning and cleaning.
3. Family members infected with Helicobacter pylori are always potential sources of infection and may continue to spread to others[5-12]
This is because H. pylori infection rarely clears up on its own without treatment.
In addition to eating a dish, drinking a bowl of soup, and sharing utensils, continuous transmission and cross-infection are easy to occur.
But don’t worry too much, that doesn’t mean other family members will definitely get infected. Because whether or not Helicobacter pylori is infected is related to the amount of bacteria in contact, the person’s immunity and other factors.
4. Most infections occur in childhood and adolescence, but also in adulthood
The vast majority of children and adolescents are infected through family transmission, mainly from parents (especially mothers) to their children.
The most common ways are:
Feed your baby chewed food;
Sharing utensils and food;
Kiss the baby;
Eat/drink bacteria-contaminated water, food, etc.
The rate of H. pylori infection in children increases with age. Especially between the ages of 10 and 19, the risk of infection is the highest [14], parents must pay attention!
How can I help my child prevent Helicobacter pylori infection?
You smart, you must have summed it up. Let us know in the comments section~
The answer is simple—you can test it out by taking a breath at the hospital.
The scientific name for this test is “Carbon 14/13 breath test” (also called “14C/13C-urea breath test”). This method will not harm the body.
But it also has some limitations. For example, if you have taken antibiotics, acid-suppressing drugs, certain traditional Chinese medicines before the examination, or suffer from severe gastric mucosal atrophy, gastric bleeding and other diseases, the results may be different. precise.
Tell your doctor if you have any of these conditions. Doctors also have methods such as serum antibody testing and stool antigen testing [1,17-18].
What needs to be checked [1,17,19-21]?
The following 7 types of people should pay attention:
A family history of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives (parents, children, siblings);
History of gastric cancer;
peptic ulcer;
Chronic gastritis with erosion or atrophy;
Chronic gastritis with dyspepsia symptoms;
Need to take NSAIDs on a long-term basis;
Unexplained iron deficiency anemia, etc.
Actually, many people can insist on regular physical examination once a year. During the physical examination, it is recommended to add a breath test to the package.
This issue is quite complicated. Let’s briefly summarize it from three aspects: adults, children, and the elderly:
1. Adults
As soon as infection is identified, “eradication therapy” for Helicobacter pylori is recommended. There are 2 benefits:
Eliminate the source of infection and reduce the risk of infecting family members;
Prevent serious complications from persistent infections, especially lowering the risk of stomach cancer.
But the paper also mentions: If there are countervailing factors (such as kidney failure), it is best to communicate with your doctor whether to treat it.
2. Children (<14 years old)
The doctor needs to weigh the pros and cons. Remember the most important 3 points [1,21]:
Helicobacter pylori infection in children with peptic ulcer and gastric malignant lymphoma must be eradicated;
Chronic gastritis, family history of gastric cancer, unexplained refractory iron-deficiency anemia, etc. can be eradicated;
In children without gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal pain, bloating, acid regurgitation, hiccups, etc.), testing and treatment are generally not recommended.
3. Seniors
The infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in the elderly is higher, and eradication therapy is recommended to improve gastrointestinal symptoms and prevent gastric cancer to a certain extent.
But it should be noted that the elderly may have other diseases (such as heart, lung, cerebrovascular, kidney disease), and may take some drugs (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) daily, Therefore, it needs to be treated under the guidance of a doctor.
Bismuth quadruple regimen is the first choice for the eradication treatment of Helicobacter pylori. As for how to take it, just follow your doctor’s advice.
Here comes the point!
To prevent and control Helicobacter pylori infection, “family-based prevention and control” is now advocated.
This is because the bacteria have the potential to reinfect and recur.
my country’s epidemiological survey data show that the 1-year and 3-year recurrence rates of Helicobacter pylori are 1.75% and 4.61%, respectively.
Simultaneous eradication therapy among family members reduces the risk of cross-infection and family transmission, reduces recurrence rates, and improves cure rates.
See more medical books: Can Internet celebrity toothpaste kill Helicobacter pylori?
Click the video to see the truth
Unfortunately, not yet.
Vaccines to prevent Helicobacter pylori are still in the research and development stage and cannot be clinically applied in the short term.
Therefore, preventing new infections and eradicating existing ones are the most effective prevention and control strategies at present.
The method of preventing Helicobacter pylori has actually been mentioned before. Here I will summarize it for you:
It is recommended to divide meals or use public chopsticks.
Do not feed your child mouth-to-mouth or chew food.
Don’t let strangers kiss your child casually, not even on the face.
Cook or wash food before eating, especially freshly picked fruits and vegetables, do not eat without washing.
Wash your hands before and after meals.
Do not share dental appliances, it is best to change them every 3 months.
One last word, I will give you some peace of mind-
Helicobacter pylori can induce gastric ulcers and gastric cancer, but most people are carriers without pathological reactions [22].
In other words, if you find out that Helicobacter pylori is positive, don’t panic, follow the doctor’s advice, treat if you need treatment, and prevent if you need to prevent it.
Forward to Moments and tell more people~
References
[1] Liu Wenzhong. The fifth national consensus report on the management of Helicobacter pylori infection[J]. Gastroenterology, 2017, 22(6):15.
[2] Helicobacter pylori group of Gastroenterology Branch of Chinese Medical Association. Minutes of the Kyoto Global Consensus Symposium on Helicobacter pylori Gastritis [J]. Chinese Journal of Digestive Medicine, 2016, 36(1) :5.
[3]Xie C, Lu NH. Review: clinical management of Helicobacter pylori infection in China. Helicobacter.2015;20(1):1-10.
[4] National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases (Shanghai), National Alliance of Early Cancer Prevention and Control Centers of Digestive Tract, Helicobacter pylori and Peptic Ulcer Group of Digestive Disease Branch of Chinese Medical Association , et al. Expert consensus on the prevention, control and management of Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese households (2021) [J]. Chinese Journal of Digestion, 2021, 41(4):13.
[5]Drumm B,Perez-Perez G I,Blaser M J ,et al. Intrafamilial clustering of Helicobacter pylori infection.[J] .N Engl J Med, 1990, 322: 359-63 .
[6]Georgopoulos S D,Mentis A F,Spiliadis CA ,et al. Helicobacter pylori infection in spouses of patients with duodenal ulcers and comparison of ribosomal RNA gene patterns.[J] .Gut, 1996 , 39: 634-8.
[7]Rothenbacher Dietrich,Winkler Markus,Gonser Theodor, et al. Role of infected parents in transmission of helicobacter pylori to their children.[J] .Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2002, 21 : 674-9.
[8]Perry Sharon,de la Luz Sanchez Maria,Yang Shufang, et al. Gastroenteritis and transmission of Helicobacter pylori infection in households.[J] .Emerg Infect Dis, 2006, 12: 1701-8.
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[10]Nahar S, Kibria K M K, Hossain Md E, et al. Evidence of intra-familial transmission of Helicobacter pylori by PCR-based RAPD fingerprinting in Bangladesh.[J] .Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 2009, 28: 767-73.
[11]Osaki Takako,Konno Mutsuko,Yonezawa Hideo ,et al. Analysis of intra-familial transmission of Helicobacter pylori in Japanese families.[J] .J Med Microbiol, 2015, 64: 67-73.
[12] Yang Liang, Liu Gaifang, Zhu Xinying, et al. Investigation and analysis of the current situation of family clustering of Helicobacter pylori infection [J]. Gastroenterology, 2019, 24(7): 4.
[13]Blecker U,Lanciers S,Mehta D I ,et al. Familial clustering of Helicobacter pylori infection.[J] .Clin Pediatr (Phila), 1994, 33: 307-8.
[14] Liu Wei, Xu Chundi, Xi Rongping, et al. Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection in children in different family environments in Shanghai [J]. Chinese Journal of Practical Pediatrics, 2006, 21( 1):3.
[15]Parsonnet J,Shmuely H,Haggerty T,Fecal and oral shedding of Helicobacter pylori from healthy infected adults.[J] .JAMA, 1999, 282: 2240-5.
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[16]Dore M P, Sepulveda A R, El-Zimaity H, et al. Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from sheep-implications for transmission to humans.[J] .Am J Gastroenterol, 2001, 96: 1396-401.
[17]Sugano Kentaro,Tack Jan,Kuipers Ernst J, et al. Kyoto global consensus report on Helicobacter pylori gastritis.[J] .Gut, 2015, 64: 1353-67.< /p>
[18]Malfertheiner P, Megraud F, O’Morain CA, et al. European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group and Consensus panel. Management of Helicobacter pylori infection-the Maastricht V/Florence Consensus Report . Gut. 2017 Jan;66(1):6-30.
[19] Mahachai V, Vilaichone RK, Pittayanon R, et al. Helicobacter pylori management in ASEAN: The Bangkok consensus report. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Jan;33(1):37- 56.
[20] Ding Songze. Emphasis on the diagnosis, treatment, management and clinical research of Helicobacter pylori infection and related gastric mucosal precancerous changes in the whole family [J]. Chinese Journal of Medicine, 2019,99(19): 1446-1448.
[21]Ding SZ. Global whole family based-Helicobacter pylori eradication strategy to prevent its related diseases and gastric cancer. World J Gastroenterol. 2020 Mar 14;26(10):995-1004 .
[22] Linz B, Balloux F, Moodley Y, et al. An African origin for the intimate association between humans and Helicobacter pylori[J]. Nature, 2007, 445:915-918 .
Editors: Zhang Jie, Wu Jiaxiang, Zhang Liang
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