are stomach bug contagious
Do you have stomach germs?
Do you want to know if stomach germs are contagious?
Do you want to know if contact with a person who has stomach germs can cause you to get stomach germs?
What are the symptoms of stomach germs?
How is it treated and diagnosed? In the following, we want to talk briefly about the answers to the above questions.
Introduction
What is popularly known as gastric microbe is actually a rod bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the body and stomach for many years and after several years can cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner surface of the stomach wall (GU); ulcer in the upper part of the small intestine (DU) or duodenum.
Can stomach germs spread to a healthy person?
Read more about stomach germs below.
What is meant by stomach germs?
Many people think that microbial infections of the stomach always cause stomach cancer; We must say that this statement is not correct for all patients with gastric germs, and gastric infections or gastritis caused by gastric germs or gastric bacteria or a type of rod bacterium called Helicobacter pylori; This disease is common.
It is estimated that about two-thirds of the world's population has Helicobacter pylori in their gastrointestinal tract. Many of these people do not suffer from internal complications and symptoms with this bacterium, which means that there are many people who have stomach germs but will not have symptoms, ulcers and gastritis. If this bacterium causes problems for a person, there are drugs that can kill this bacterium; in other words, there are standard multi-drug treatments that kill germs, heal wounds, and reduce and eliminate stomach pain.
Gastric or peptic ulcer: It is the most common type of gastric ulcer in countries and countries where health is lagging behind, as well as in areas and areas where people do not have access to safe water; Conversely, the higher level of health and hygiene and the availability of safe and hygienic water for the majority of people and the region, the less people will be infected with this bacterium.
What do stomach germs do in the body?
When stomach bacteria, stomach germs or Helicobacter pylori enter the stomach, they attack the inner mucous membrane of your stomach wall. It secretes protection, but the bacteria can cause serious damage to the stomach lining; By disrupting the health and integrity of the mucous membrane, enzymes and stomach acid can easily access the sensitive membrane, causing inflammation and ulceration.
They are a group of ulcers that form in the stomach wall of the GU or in the wall of the early part of the small intestine (DU).
3 important complications of Pus:
Bleeding and obstruction and rupture of the gastrointestinal tract.
How does a person get stomach germs?
The main cause of gastric contamination is the use of contaminated food, water or dishes. As we have said, the prevalence is higher in countries and communities that do not have a proper sewage system and people in that community do not have access to safe water.
Stomach bacteria
Is Helicobacter pylori bacterium contagious? The answer to this question is yes. In fact, contact with saliva or other body fluids in a healthy person can lead to a healthy person; fluids are actually gastrointestinal secretions. It is interesting to note that the prevalence of gastric germs is higher in children and adolescents. Many people, especially those living in infected areas who are poorer in terms of hygiene or do not have access to safe drinking water, became infected with the bacterium during their childhood.
But the bacterium can also be present in adults. This bacterium lives in the host body for many years; In most cases, the host will not have a stomach ulcer or other symptoms.
It is not yet clear exactly why only a handful of people who host stomach germs or only a limited number of people who have stomach germs develop clinical gastrointestinal ulcer disease and symptoms.
What are the symptoms of a person with peptic ulcer, including gastric ulcer and early duodenal ulcer?
Symptoms are as follows:
The pain can be severe or mild and is usually felt in the upper abdomen. The pain is sometimes temporary; When there is a stomach ulcer. The pain is greater when you eat; In duodenal ulcers, the pain is felt most when the stomach is empty; This pain lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. After eating, drinking milk and taking antacids, the pain is greatly relieved.
There are differences in belching, bloating, nausea, vomiting, satiety, lack of hunger and weight loss for no apparent reason in gastric ulcer, and duodenal ulcer in loss of appetite and weight gain.
Doctors also say that inflammatory mucosal lesions play a more prominent role in causing gastric ulcers than gastric infection and the role of Helicobacter pylori in causing DU.
At the end of the treatment, gastric cleansing should be confirmed by ulcers, inflammation and germs, but in the case of duodenal ulcers, this follow-up will not be necessary; Gastric or peptic ulcer: It is more common than duodenal ulcer and may require more surgery.
The prevalence of duodenal ulcers is much higher than gastric ulcers. Eighty percent of Mel Peptic ulcers are duodenal ulcers.
What are the complications of peptic ulcers?
Gastric ulcer; Ulcers at the beginning of the intestine are narrow, and the main complications of peptic ulcers are obstruction, perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, and bleeding.
Wounds can cause gastrointestinal bleeding; Symptoms and manifestations when the upper gastrointestinal tract bleeds are as follows:
Severe heartburn, vomiting that has blood, sometimes ground coffee beans can be present in the vomit and there is fatigue for no reason.
An essential feature of upper gastrointestinal bleeding is bleeding from the esophagus, stomach, beginning of the small intestine, and a special bloody stool called melanoma, which has certain characteristics, and a tarry, watery stool is highly foul-smelling.
Can stomach germs cause stomach cancer?
It must be said that if a person has an infection with stomach germ or Helicobacter pylori bacteria, this factor can cause cancer; But this is not very common; if you do not have symptoms of a stomach ulcer, your doctor will not ask for a test to confirm the presence of Helicobacter pylori, and if you already or in the past have symptoms of a Helicobacter pylori infection.
Diagnosis
Let's see how doctors find out if a person's symptoms are due to the presence of stomach germs; Here are some diagnostic methods that can prove the presence of gastric germs through laboratory tests.
The person being tested eats urea-containing substances and then will breathe into a bag; The bag is sent to the laboratory for testing; If stomach germs are present, the stomach bacteria convert urea to carbon, and tests show that the gas was too normal for the person to exhale.
Your doctor will recommend the following steps to examine your stomach ulcer more closely:
- The first: endoscopic procedure of the upper gastrointestinal tract
This procedure is performed in a hospital where a trained doctor uses a tube equipped with a camera and a lamp called an endoscope to enter the esophagus through the mouth, then the stomach and the upper part, it becomes intestinal and you may be given painkillers and sedatives to make it easier.
Sometimes you are given a liquid called a barium at the hospital. After eating this liquid, the doctor will ask you to take an x-ray. The swallowed barium will cover your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. The presence of mucosal defects in the wall of the upper gastrointestinal tract, the defect is well identified; this test is called a barium swallow test.
CT scans will provide more detailed images of the inside of the body.
treatment
If you have stomach germs; If you have a stomach ulcer, which is caused by a stomach germ, treatment for a stomach ulcer includes eliminating the infectious agents, treating the damage to the stomach membrane, protecting the gastric mucosa, and preventing the recurrence of the ulcer. The recovery period is usually one to two weeks. it will take time; There are several standard drug regimens to achieve the above goals; they use different drug agents as follows:
Antibiotics, amoxicillin and metronidazole, clarithromycin, tetracycline and tinidazole are needed to kill stomach bacteria.
The important point is that treatment with one antibiotic is not recommended at all. At least two antibiotics should be taken.
There are drugs that protect the gastric mucosa against acid Omeprazole, pantoprazole, Rabeprazole.
There are drugs that protect the membrane. Bismuth, along with antibiotics, can sometimes help kill stomach germs.
Antihistamines can also stop the release of histamine. Histamine is associated with accelerated production and secretion of acid by the stomach. Antihistamines for the stomach include famotidine or ranitidine.
When we talk about the treatment of stomach germs, we mean that you should take four pills or more every day; How long is the treatment period?
This amount may seem like a lot, but you should take whatever your doctor prescribes and follow the instructions; If you stop taking antibiotics, the stomach bacteria will become resistant to them, making it harder to treat the germs in your stomach.
If for any reason the pain during the course of treatment with acid and drugs bothers you, you must consult your doctor to control the side effects if necessary and change the medication regimen to suit you and about a month later. When your treatment period (in the case of a stomach ulcer) is over, your doctor will repeat the breath and stool test to confirm that the germs in your stomach are gone.
prevention
How can Helicobacter pylori infection of the stomach be prevented?
The method of prevention will be similar to the method of prevention of other infectious agents. It is important to observe the following:
One)
Wash your hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom.
Two)
Wash your hands with soap and water before eating and teach your children to wash their hands with soap and water.
Three)
Avoid eating unhealthy and contaminated water and food separately; avoid eating unsafe and unsafe foods on the way, and eating foods that people who cook them are not hygienic.
Use only personal items when eating; Do not share your plates, spoons, forks and glasses with others and do not use other people's personal items when eating; Stress, smoking, and spicy foods themselves do not cause stomach ulcers, but they do delay the healing of pain and the healing of stomach ulcers.
What to do during treatment?
Most ulcers and inflammations caused by Helicobacter pylori gastric bacteria go away after a few weeks and the symptoms go away. The drugs themselves severely damage the gastric membrane and increase the thickness of the wound; If you need painkillers during treatment, be sure to ask your doctor about the type of painkiller.
Is gastric germ difficult to treat?
No. Stomach germ treatment is usually easy and possible and does not cause problems in people. If you leave the treatment halfway, the stomach germ will become much more resistant and it will be difficult in the later stages of treatment; If you do not pay attention to the side effects, you may feel irritated, so it is best to spend the entire duration of treatment with the multi-drug prescription prescribed by your doctor.