Helicobacter pylori infection is a worldwide problem. At the "Grass-roots Helicobacter Pylori and Gastrointestinal Microecology Summit Forum" hosted by Nanjing First Hospital in 2020, experts in gastroenterology called for the promotion of meal sharing system and the use of public chopsticks and spoons to reduce Helicobacter pylori infection.
The infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in my country is about 42%
According to a survey by Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the current rate of Helicobacter pylori infection in my country is about 42%. This means that one in two people may be infected with Helicobacter pylori.
Zhang Zhenyu, director of the Department of Gastroenterology, Nanjing First Hospital, gave a speech at the 2020 Grassroots Helicobacter Pylori and Gastrointestinal Microecology Summit Forum, introducing that the most common disease after Helicobacter pylori infection is chronic gastritis, in addition to peptic ulcer, gastric cancer and Gastric mucosa-related lymphoid tissue lymphoma, etc.
The related symptoms are abdominal pain and bloating, peptic ulcers can also cause stomach pain, and serious ulcer bleeding may be caused. Although about half of the people who show Helicobacter pylori inflammation pathologically do not have the above symptoms, experts recommend that people over 14 years of age should be eradicated as soon as possible, which can greatly reduce the probability of future gastric cancer.
Zhang Zhenyu said that in general, the incidence of gastric cancer in people with Helicobacter pylori infection is much higher than that of uninfected people. Some people even say that more than 95% of gastric cancer is caused by Helicobacter pylori infection.
Medical research shows that after several years of eradication of Helicobacter pylori, the incidence of gastric cancer is significantly reduced. Zhang Zhenyu said, “Last year, a study by a Korean scholar was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Especially in families, after the eradication of the family history of Helicobacter pylori gastric cancer, the risk of gastric cancer can be reduced by 73%.”
Split meals can reduce Helicobacter pylori infection rate
Director Zhang Zhenyu said that Helicobacter pylori settles in the stomach and belongs to a digestive tract disease. There are three common ways of transmission of gastrointestinal diseases, namely, appetite transmission, oral transmission and fecal-oral transmission.
At the same time, this infectious disease has family clusters. Studies have found that if parents are both Helicobacter pylori positive, the probability of their children being positive is more than 60%; if one parent is positive, the probability of their children being positive is more than 40%; if both parents are negative, the probability of their children being 100% More than 20 out of the probability is positive.
Many countries in Europe and the United States adopt a split meal system, but our country generally adopts a combined meal system, and we are accustomed to eating a large table with a group of people. However, such eating habits can easily lead to the spread of some diseases in the digestive tract, especially saliva.
Beware of illnesses from the mouth, advocating divided meals, using public chopsticks and spoons, and dedicated chopsticks have become a new fashion in modern civilized dining. Zhang Zhenyu showed a set of chopsticks in different colors to the participants. Each family member can use their own chopsticks by distinguishing the colors to reduce the risk of infection of potential diseases. How about the effect of public chopsticks and public spoons? Zhang Zhenyu said, “They have advocated the use of public chopsticks in one place in Hunan, and their Helicobacter pylori infection rate is low.”
Blood, breath, urine, etc. can be tested
In addition to regular gastroscopy, blood, breath, and stool can be tested for Helicobacter pylori infection. A blood draw can check whether the body contains antibodies to Helicobacter pylori. Due to the characteristics of Helicobacter pylori, its antibodies cannot effectively kill it, but only represent whether it is infected. But whether there are bacteria in the body, you need to do further checks, such as breath test.
Breath test has been basically popularized in Jiangsu area. According to Zhang Zhenyu's investigation, Jiangsu first-level township hospitals and community health centers have basically set up breath test projects. The cost is also relatively cheap, usually 80 to 100 yuan. In addition, for the elderly at home or those injured and inconvenient to move, feces can also be used to detect Helicobacter pylori infection.
Correspondent Zhang Chen and intern Gu Yining
Yangtze Evening News/Ziniu News reporter Cai Yunqi