| Beware of helicobacter pylori infection
It may cause gastric cancer in severe cases
Bloating, loss of appetite and epigastric pain are common symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases, including Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. According to the information from the Centre for Health Protection, around 90% of duodenal ulcers and over 70% of gastric ulcers are associated with H. pylori infection.
Over 80% of patients infected with H. pylori do not have obvious symptoms at the early stage of infection, said Dr Lee Ting-lam Edwin, Gleneagles' Consultant in Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Without appropriate treatment, gastroduodenal ulcers or even gastric cancer may develop. Therefore, early detection of H. pylori infection through screening test, followed by treatment, is warranted to prevent complications. Diagnostic tests of H. pylori infection can be catergorised into non-invasive and invasive. Carbon-13 urea breath test is the most common non-invasive test, with sensitivity over 95% to detect H. pylori infection. Endoscopy is another test for diagnosis of H. pylori infection through obtaining biopsy from the stomach and revealing the presence of the bacteria from histology. As endoscopy per se is invasive, patients should seek advice from doctors first before proceeding to endoscopic examination. If you are in doubt about acquiring H. pylori infection,🔎read on the following article (*in Chinese only) in which Dr Lee Ting-lam Edwin shares the common H. pylori treatments and notes for patients with H. pylori infection.
感染幽門螺旋菌勿忽視 嚴重可導致胃癌
胃氣脹、食慾不振及上腹疼痛是常見的腸胃病症狀，但亦可能是感染幽門螺旋菌的病徵。根據衞生防護中心數據，約九成的十二指腸潰瘍患者，及超過七成的胃潰瘍個案都與感染幽門螺旋菌有關。
港怡醫院腸胃肝臟科顧問醫生李亭林醫生指出，超過八成感染幽門螺旋菌的病人，初期都沒有明顯症狀。若病人沒有接受合適治療，嚴重的話或有機會演變成胃部或十二指腸潰瘍，甚至胃癌。因此，應儘早檢查及接受治療消除胃部內的幽門螺旋菌，以免情況惡化。幽門螺旋菌測試分為非入侵性及入侵性兩種方法。碳13尿素呼氣測試是非入侵性檢查中最常見的一種，準確度達95%以上。醫生亦可通過內窺鏡檢查，檢視食道、胃及十二指腸的情況，再從胃部抽取組織診斷是否感染幽門螺旋菌，惟內窺鏡屬於入侵性檢查，建議病人先與醫生商討是否適合進行。
如果您懷疑感染幽門螺旋菌，🔎可閱讀以下文章，由李亭林醫生解說更多常見感染幽門螺旋菌的治療方法以及給患者的注意事項。 | 
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