Helicobacter pylori - what is known about it?

H.pylori is a gram negative bacterium. Due to its specific shape, it is classified as a helical bacillus. It is mainly isolated from the stomach, but according to some sources, it can also infect other organs. The bacterium thrives with little access to oxygen, its highest concentrations being recorded on the surface membranes of the stomach and duodenum. Interestingly, H.pylori shows great motility, which is due to the bacterium having several vitae. An unusual feature that distinguishes H.pylori from other bacteria is its ability to survive in a highly acidic environment, such as the gastric mucosa.

Virulence and virulence factors - how H.pylori infects

Virulence factors are a set of characteristics of a given micro-organism, which allow it to break through the protective barriers of an organism - in this case a human being. Nature has equipped H.pylori with a number of virulence factors that allow it to survive in the unfavourable environment that is the stomach. The bacteria are capable of producing so-called urease - an enzyme that breaks down urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide. The breakdown products react with the hydrochloric acid found in the stomach and ... cause a change in its pH, making it inert for the proliferating bacteria. In addition, the bacteria are equipped with numerous cilia and villi that allow them to move and attach themselves to the stomach or duodenal wall. H.pylori is also able to synthesise cytotoxins that damage the epithelial structure of the organs attacked.

According to the World Health Organisation WHO, nearly 70 per cent of people in developing countries are already infected with the bacterium, which produces no symptoms. Estimates from the National Health Fund state that nearly 84 % of adults and almost 32 % of children and adolescents up to the age of 18 in Poland are infected with H.pylori .

Which diseases are caused by H.pylori

H.pylori leads primarily to changes in the gastric mucosa, resulting primarily in the appearance of peptic ulcer disease of this organ. Studies show that H .pylori infection also contributes to duodenal ulcer disease. Patients who are infected with H.pylori and suffer from duodenal ulcer disease have elevated gastrin levels in their blood. The bacterium also very often causes gastritis. Interestingly, almost 70 % of those infected do not experience any worrying symptoms for a long time, which would prompt them to visit a specialist. Only severe stomach pain and digestive problems prompt them to go to the doctor, who orders detailed examinations. Caution - chronic, untreated gastritis can lead to so-called intestinal metaplasia, i.e. changes in the intestinal tissue. Other diseases that have been linked to the presence of H.pylori are :

• Gastric mucosal lymphoma - the gastric and intestinal mucosa is described in the literature as part of the immune system, known as MALT. Long-term exposure to H.pylori, thus stimulating the immune system, leads to lymphoma of this membrane,
• Gastric cancer,
• Most likely, colon cancer.