People usually think that stomach diseases are not as easily transmitted from person to person as respiratory infections. In fact, the pathogen causing gastritis – Helicobacter pylori (abbreviated as Hp) – is a highly infectious bacterium. Therefore, to prevent stomach diseases, one should be cautious about preventing infection from the mouth.

Helicobacter pylori has two main transmission routes

Helicobacter pylori is a highly infectious bacterium, and it is the only bacterium that can break through the gastric mucosal barrier and live in the stomach for a long time. After being infected with this bacterium, one-third of the people will develop gastritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and even some patients may progress to gastric cancer.

So, how do people get infected with this bacterium? According to epidemiological investigations, Helicobacter pylori that survives in gastric juice can enter the mouth through gastroesophageal reflux, stay on the teeth, and spread infection through saliva. It can also be excreted through the gastrointestinal tract with feces, contaminate food, and thus infect others.

That is to say, there are two ways of transmission for Helicobacter pylori: oral-oral transmission and fecal-oral transmission. For example, if a healthy person kisses someone carrying Hp or gets infected by sharing meals with them, it belongs to oral-oral transmission.

In clinical practice, Helicobacter pylori infection shows a significant aggregation phenomenon within families. For example, if parents are infected with Helicobacter pylori and dine at the same table, their children have a much higher chance of infection than those in other families.

Four types of Hp carriers should be treated as soon as possible

According to clinical epidemiological surveys, the infection rate of Hp is high, and its incidence rate is second only to dental caries.

Nie Yaqiang said that in our country, the infection rate of Hp among the general population is as high as 50%-80%, making it a highly infected country. It should be pointed out that although Helicobacter pylori infection is widespread among the population, only a few people become ill, and the vast majority of people carry Hp in the stomach for life without any symptoms, which is called the carrier state or carrier of Hp. Observations have shown that about 2/3 of Hp carriers are asymptomatic and therefore do not require treatment. Over-treatment may lead to adverse consequences such as drug resistance, dizziness, dermatitis, and drug allergies.

There are four types of Helicobacter pylori carriers who are recommended to seek treatment as soon as possible –

1. Patients with peptic ulcer or other related gastric diseases;

2. Patients with erosive gastritis;

3. People with a family history of gastric cancer among parents, brothers, sisters, and other direct relatives may increase the risk of gastric cancer if infected with Helicobacter pylori, and therefore, this group should actively seek treatment;

4. People who are particularly panic about being infected with Helicobacter pylori psychologically.

For the above four groups of people, it is recommended to undergo Hp eradication treatment. This treatment process is not complicated, and can be cured within 10-14 days of taking medication. After eradication of Hp, it is also very beneficial for the prevention of gastric cancer.

Prevent infection: use communal chopsticks when eating together

Helicobacter pylori is highly contagious and can be transmitted through saliva, hands, unclean utensils, feces, and other routes. In summer, people like to eat cold dishes, and not using communal chopsticks when eating family-style meals are potential factors for transmission. It can be said that Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that is eaten into the body, therefore, Nie Yaqiang emphasizes that when eating family-style meals, communal chopsticks should be used as much as possible to avoid the bacteria in saliva spreading to food through chopsticks and causing cross-infection.

Experts also point out that in daily life, attention should be paid to details to avoid being infected with Helicobacter pylori

●Brush teeth carefully – Helicobacter pylori can grow and reproduce in dental plaque, so it is important to brush teeth thoroughly to remove dental plaque and Helicobacter pylori. Brushing teeth in the morning and evening and rinsing the mouth after meals can reduce the possibility of infection with Helicobacter pylori.

●Wash hands before meals – To prevent the infection of Helicobacter pylori, it is necessary to wash hands thoroughly before meals and when eating raw fruits and vegetables, which are good hygiene habits and the key to preventing Helicobacter pylori from entering the body.

●Salad dishes should be hygienic and clean – Many people like to eat salad dishes, such as cucumber, tomato, bitter melon, etc. When making salads, they should be washed and peeled, which is an effective method to prevent Helicobacter pylori from entering the body. Otherwise, it is also easy to increase the chance of infection significantly due to the presence of Helicobacter pylori in food.

If infected with Helicobacter pylori, in addition to active treatment, it is also necessary to use communal chopsticks when eating with family members to prevent cross-infection.

Tips:

Pay attention to feeding the baby

According to statistics, the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori among children aged 7-12 in Shanghai is 36%. These children are very likely to have been infected with Hp since infancy. Experts remind that if mothers or other elders carry Hp, they should not use their chopsticks to serve food to their children to avoid transmitting Helicobacter pylori to them.