| Helicobacter
pylori (H. pylori), the bacterium now known to cause about 80 percent of
peptic ulcers, may be behind other stomach ailments as well. H. pylori often
infects the stomach during childhood and may cause recurring stomach problems
before an ulcer develops. In many persons, it causes no symptoms.
Ulcers were long believed to be caused by stress, spicy foods and lifestyle.
Since the discovery of a bacterial cause, the treatment of ulcers has
been dramatically improved.
Treatment with antibiotics nearly always eradicates an ulcer, and researchers
are trying to determine if patients with chronic indigestion might also
be helped by antibiotics.
[SOURCE: Wink A.deBoer and Guido N.J. Tytgat, “Treatment of Helicobacter
Pylori Infection,” British Medical Journal, January 1, 2000; Anita
Elash, “Closing in on a Cure:Antibiotics Eradicate Almost All Ulcers,
Maclean’s, July 14, 1997]
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