Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori

A gramnegative rod-shaped bacterium that lives in the tissues of the stomach and causes inflammation of the stomach lining.

Mentioned in: Indigestion, Ulcers (Digestive)

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Helicobacter pylori,

a species of spiral or straight gram-negative bacteria with multiple sheathed flagella found in the gastric mucosa of humans and other animals and associated with gastric and peptic ulcers as well as gastric cancers. Formerly called Campylobacter pylori.

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Helicobacter pylori (he·li·kō·bakˑ·ter pī·lōˑ·rē),

n a bacterium implicated as a predisposing factor for most pyloric ulcers.

Heliobacter pylori.

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Heimlich sign,

n.pr a universal distress signal that a person is choking and unable to speak, made by grasping the throat with a thumb and index finger, thereby attracting the attention of others nearby.

Helicobacter pylori

n a gram-negative, spiral-shaped bacteria that is active as a human gastric pathogen. It is associated with lesions or gastritis or peptic ulcers. See also ulcer, peptic.

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Helicobacter pylori

Campylobacter pylori GI disease A curved gram-negative microaerophilic bacillus which causes most cases of gastritis; it is present in 10-50% of healthy young persons and up to 60% of those ≥ age 60 Epidemiology H pylori may be spread by houseflies–hand washing may ↓ transmission, by intrafamilial contact, or domestic cats Note: 90% of Pts with intestinal-type gastric CA have been infected by H pylori, which may be a co-factor for gastric CA, acting either to stimulate production of cellular mutagens or induce ↑ proliferation after cell damage; it has been implicated in antibiotic-responsive duodenal ulcers, and linked to other gastric lesions, benign and malignant Diagnosis Gastric Bx with special–eg, Diff-Quik stain, serologic tests–90-95% accuracy, urea breath test Disease course H pylori infection → chronic superficial gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, lymphoproliferative disease, ± → gastric lymphoma, chronic atrophic gastritis, ± → gastric adenoCA Management Proton-pump inhibitors–eg, omeprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole; antibiotics–amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole; ranitidine; bismuth subcitrate. See Duodenal ulcer, Gastric lymphoma, Urea breath test.