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Helicobacter pylori

The facts:

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori for short) is a type of bacterium found in the stomach and small intestine of many people. It is responsible for various illnesses (stomach ulcers, chronic stomach inflammation, and sour eructation) and poses an increased risk of contracting stomach cancer and Hodgkin's disease.

What does our test include?

A stool specimen for analysis in our laboratory is sufficient for the identification of the H. pylori bacterium. Uncomfortable tests (such as gastroscopies), as they were inevitable some time ago, are no longer required.

When should you take this test?

Use this test if you suffer from the following symptoms:

• Sour eructation
• Stomach pain before, during or after the meals
• Prolonged nausea and / or weight loss

After being treated, you may wish to use this test to control the outcome of the therapy.

• Treatment for H. pylori infections is highly effective. Generally, three types of medications which ideally supplement one another are administered for 10 – 14 days. A follow-up examination should be performed four weeks after the completion of the therapy to ensure that the bacterium is no longer present in the stomach. The follow-up examination is identical to the initial examination (collection of a stool specimen, mailing in of the specimen).

How to use this test? (to instructions)

For the determination of H. pylori we only require one stool specimen to be collected by you at home and mailed to us. No consultation with a physician is required.

Please follow the instructions on the illustrations (pictograms), explaining the proper collection of specimens.

How and when will you receive the results?

You will be informed of the results no later than three days upon receipt of your stool specimen at our laboratory. The results will be e-mailed to you (disclaimer) or published on our homepage in an area only accessible by you (link, disclaimer, and password).

What happens, if the results reveal a H. pylori infection?

In this case it is recommended that you visit the general practitioner. Because you will bring the laboratory test results, s/he will be able to prescribe the drug therapy upon a short examination.

If this test was a control of a previous therapy, an additional treatment will be required, although consisting of a different combination. Please visit the physician who treated you initially. S/he will be able to explain to you why the initial therapy was unsuccessful and what should be done next.

What happens if the results reveal that I am not infected with H. pylori?

This means that you do not carry this bacterium. If the symptoms described above (link) persist, you should consult your general practitioner. Generally, this is only required if the symptoms persist for more than two weeks or are getting worse.

Additional information:

2005 Nobel price for medicine thanks to H. pylori

In 2005, Robin Warren und Barry Marshall, two Australian researchers were awarded the most prestigious scientific price of the world, the Nobel price for detecting the Helicobacter pylori bacterium in 1983 and consequently revolutionising the treatment of stomach ulcers.

Before the detection of this bacterium, stomach ulcers were attributed to stress, smoking and inadequate diets.

Occurrence

H. pylori occurs in individuals all over the world, including children.

Hygiene has a major influence on the number of affected persons: the poorer the hygiene, the higher the number of infected persons. In some regions, almost everyone is infected with H. pylori. In Europe, it is estimated that approximately every second adult carries the bacterium in their stomach.

H. pylori only affects people. It is transmitted after being excreted by an infected person and entering into the stomach of a non-infected individual (e. g. via contaminated drinking water, unclean food or as a result of poor hygiene).

Secondary illnesses

Many people are not aware of the presence of H. pylori in their stomach. For lack of symptoms, this bacterium is harmless. However, if H. pylori causes an inflammation of the gastric mucosa, secondary illnesses can develop, including stomach cancer. The inflammation of the gastric mucosa causes indisposition and pain in the region of the stomach / rib cage as well as sour eructation.

Treatment

Treatment of H. pylori is highly effective. A combination therapy consisting of three different drugs is required for two weeks (the antibiotic Metronidazole, the antibiotic Amoxycillin as well as the acid pump inhibitor Omeprazole). These drugs are generally well tolerated.

Four weeks after the conclusion of the treatment, the outcome of the therapy should be reviewed by conducting the identical simple analysis, i. e. the patient mails in another stool specimen and the laboratory will examine whether H. pylori has been eradicated.

How are the tests conducted at our laboratory?

We are using the following method to identify the presence of H. pylori:

Do you have any questions?

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