More than half of the world’s population suffers from an inflammation of the gastric mucosa called gastritis. These patients are at risk of developing a gastric ulcer, a duodenal ulcer or even stomach cancer. The Helicobacter antigen detection system from R-Biopharm ensures reliable diagnostics at first diagnosis and monitoring.
At first Robin Warren and Barry Marshall were ridiculed when they claimed that a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori was the cause of gastritis. This contradicted the previous opinion that stress and poor nutrition were the cause. Barry Marshall could not convince the skeptics until he experimented on himself: He drank the Helicobacter pylori bacterium and then developed acute gastritis. In 2005, thanks to this trail-blazing discovery both researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
More than just a trigger for gastritis
Today, more than 35 years after discovering Helicobacter pylori, the subject continues to be topical and rich in implications. The acute gastritis that Barry Marshall suffered represents only one of the possible clinical pictures of an infection with Helicobacter pylori. In the meantime the list of clinical pictures that are associated with infection by this bacterium has grown long. It includes, for example:
- Peptic ulcer
- Mucosa-associated-lymphoid-tissue (MALT) lymphoma
- Helicobacter pylori-positive functional dyspepsia
- Stomach cancer
- Intestinal metaplasia
- Stomach ulcer
- Duodenal ulcer
It has been demonstrated in the case of many of these Helicobacter pylori-related diseases, that treatment of the infection has a positive effect on the clinical picture and the course of the disease. High-risk patients especially should get tested for Helicobacter pylori.
As early as 1994 Helicobacter pylori was classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Group I carcinogen and cause of stomach cancer. In fact, 80 – 90 % of stomach cancers are associated with prior Helicobacter pylori infection. An annual worldwide estimate is from 800,000 to 900,000 persons out of an estimated one million new cases of the disease.
Don’t take any risks
The symptoms of a Helicobacter pylori infection can vary and be non-specific. They range from pressure in the upper abdomen, a feeling of fullness, heartburn, burping, loss of appetite and bad breath, to pain in the upper abdomen, diarrhea and vomiting. Only a visit to your physician and the appropriate diagnostics can make it possible to draw a clear conclusion about the cause of gastrointestinal complaints. Helicobacter pylori antigen detection based on stool specimens with monoclonal antibodies is the most patient-friendly method.