HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Helicobacter pylori infection: detection, investigation, and management.

Abstract
Helicobacter pylori infection causes gastritis and peptic ulcers and is associated with the development of gastric cancer. Approximately 50% of the world population is infected with H pylori , with the highest prevalence rates in developing countries. In the vast majority of individuals, infection is acquired during childhood with those of low socioeconomic means and having infected family members being at highest risk for early childhood acquisition. Definitive routes of transmission of the infection are unclear, with evidence suggesting oral-oral, gastric-oral, and fecal-oral routes. If untreated, H pylori infection is lifelong. Although clinical disease typically occurs decades after initial infection acquisition, children infected with H pylori may have gastritis, ulcers, mucosal-associated lymphoid type lymphoma, and, rarely, gastric atrophy with/without intestinal metaplasia (ie, both precursor lesions for gastric cancer). Controversy persists regarding testing for and treating H pylori , if found, in the large number of children who present with recurrent abdominal pain. Because young children (ie, younger than 5 years of age) who are treated and cured of their H pylori infection may be at risk for reinfection, the current recommendations do not recommend treatment unless an ulcer or gastric atrophy is present. However, despite the lack of clinical evidence, the trend is to more aggressively screen children for the presence of H pylori and to treat those children who are found to have the infection. H pylori infection can be eradicated by antimicrobial therapy plus a proton pump inhibitor, but no treatment regimen is 100% effective. Multiple drugs, frequent dosing, and length of treatment often contribute to poor patient compliance, and antibiotic eradication therapy is associated with increasing drug resistance.
AuthorsSteven J Czinn
JournalThe Journal of pediatrics (J Pediatr) Vol. 146 Issue 3 Suppl Pg. S21-6 (Mar 2005) ISSN: 0022-3476 [Print] United States
PMID15758899 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
Chemical References
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Anti-Ulcer Agents
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Urea
Topics
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
  • Anti-Ulcer Agents (therapeutic use)
  • Antigens, Bacterial (analysis)
  • Breath Tests
  • Child
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Feces (microbiology)
  • Helicobacter Infections (complications, diagnosis, drug therapy, etiology)
  • Helicobacter pylori (immunology, isolation & purification)
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G (blood)
  • Risk Factors
  • Urea

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: