Researchers are not certain how people contract H. pylori , but they think it may be through food or water. H. pylori weakens the protective mucous coating of the stomach and duodenum, which allows acid to get through to the sensitive lining beneath. Both the acid and the bacteria irritate the lining and cause a sore, or ulcer. H. pylori is able to survive in stomach acid because it secretes enzymes that neutralize the acid. Once there, the bacterium's spiral shape helps it burrow through the lining.
Abdominal discomfort is the most common symptom.
This discomfort usually is a dull, gnawing ache. comes and goes for several days or weeks. Other symptoms include weight loss poor appetite bloating burping nausea vomiting Some people experience only very mild symptoms, or none at all. An upper GI series is an x ray of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. The patient drinks a chalky liquid called barium to make these organs and any ulcers show up more clearly on the x ray. An endoscopy is an exam that uses an endoscope, a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera on the end.