As the only microorganism that can survive tenaciously in the stomach, Helicobacter pylori is often regarded as one of the culprits of stomach cancer.
In fact, its scope of crime is not limited to the stomach, throat, intestines and other parts of its target, over time may develop a variety of cancers.
"Life Times" (search for "LT0385" in WeChat to pay attention to) interviewed experts to sort out the relationship between Helicobacter pylori and a variety of cancers, and reminded several types of people to focus on prevention.
Experts interviewed
Shi Ruihua, Director of the Department of Gastroenterology, Cuoda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University
Sun Lingyu, deputy director of the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Oncology, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University
Helicobacter pylori can induce a variety of cancers
About 60,000 years ago, Helicobacter pylori accompanied its human host out of Africa, and in the late twentieth century, Australian scientist Barry Marshall drank the liquid of the strain and developed gastritis, which was cured after applying antibiotics, and subsequently verified the relationship between gastritis and ulcers and Helicobacter pylori infection.
Because Helicobacter pylori is directly related to stomach cancer, the World Health Organization lists it as a first-class carcinogen. According to the latest circulation data, the number of infections on the mainland is 768 million, more than 50% of the total population.
Usually, helicobacter pylori develops into stomach cancer as follows: it grows and multiplies after entering the acidic environment of the stomach, causing tissue damage, inducing inflammatory responses and immune responses.
The most typical is stomach disease, such as chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and so on. If the treatment is not timely, it can further cause gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, etc., resulting in stomach cancer.
In addition, Helicobacter pylori is a risk factor for other tumors:
Throat cancer
A meta-analysis of 11 studies showed significantly higher rates of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with throat cancer. This is related to toxins produced by Helicobacter pylori and toxic enzymes that damage the body's mucous membranes and cause inflammation and immune responses.
A study by the School of Medicine of Fudan University in China also confirmed that people infected with Helicobacter pylori had a significantly higher risk of laryngeal cancer compared with healthy normal people. The results of this study show that Helicobacter pylori can make the mucous membrane of the larynx more susceptible to cancerous changes after exposure to carcinogens.
Bowel cancer
People infected with Helicobacter pylori have a significantly higher risk of colon cancer, and the study and analysis of this pathogen will bring certain damage to the mucous membrane, thereby stimulating the production of colon adenoma, which is a precancerous lesion. It takes about 15 years for adenomatous polyps to form colon cancer.
Lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract
Helicobacter pylori infection causes extragastric disease by causing chronic inflammatory changes in the body. This disease is the most common type of gastric malignancy, accounting for 3% to 5% of gastric malignancies, mostly in the age of 50 to 60 years.
Characteristics of high-risk populations of Helicobacter pylori
Under normal circumstances, the stomach wall has a complete set of self-protection mechanisms, but the danger of Helicobacter pylori is that it can break through this natural barrier, and the following types of people are more likely to be targeted by it:
Children under 10 years of age
Among children infected with Helicobacter pylori in mainland China, 40% to 60% of children under 10 years of age are infected, and the annual increase is sharply at a rate of 3% to 10%, while those infected over 10 years of age only increase slowly by 0.5% to 1% per year.
In economically developed countries or regions, the rate of Helicobacter pylori infection in children is low, while the infection rate of children in developing countries and poor areas is higher.
Children with chronic diarrhea, malnutrition, immunocompromisedness, and vulnerable groups such as orphans and mentally handicapped children have much higher infection rates than healthy children of the same age.
The family is large and small
Children living in crowded home settings, especially those sleeping with their parents, are more likely to be infected. A survey in Shaanxi found that the rate of Helicobacter pylori infection was negatively correlated with the size of the family's housing area.
Urban households with water supply and sewage systems, whether adults or children, have lower rates of Helicobacter pylori infection than rural households without such systems. The lack of flush toilets at home is one of the risk factors for Helicobacter pylori infection.
People in water-polluted areas
The survey found that people who drank pond water had higher rates of Helicobacter pylori infection than those who drank well water, while those who drank tap water had the lowest rates of infection.
Studies have shown that Helicobacter pylori can survive in river water for more than a week, and sometimes even for about a year.
In life, if the following symptoms appear, they should be paid attention to:
The stomach is always flatulent and belching, and there will be a noticeable feeling of fullness as soon as you eat, but it will disappear after stopping eating;
Pain in the epigastric region, which is usually irregular and mainly concentrated in the epigastric region;
Stubborn bad breath, with a pronounced sour taste, cannot be eliminated in time by ordinary brushing methods.
If you suspect that you have Helicobacter pylori infection, you can go to the hospital gastroenterology department for a carbon-13 breath test.
Among them, Helicobacter pylori infection who is older than 35 years old, has a family history of gastric cancer, and has symptoms related to the upper gastrointestinal tract is best treated in time.
Do 4 details and guard it from the dining table
Traditional Chinese eating habits are not popular with the meal sharing system, especially scenes such as new year's festival dinners are more likely to make Helicobacter pylori take advantage of the opportunity. To protect against Helicobacter pylori from the table, it is best to do the following details:
Disinfect tableware and eat separate meals
Try to use chopsticks, if someone in the family is infected with Helicobacter pylori, be sure to divide meals, and the tableware should be boiled and disinfected regularly for 20 minutes. In addition, wash your hands thoroughly before and after meals.
Do not feed your child mouth-to-mouth
Unconsciously sense the temperature of food with your tongue, or try the temperature with a pacifier before feeding;
Eat a bowl of rice with your child or someone else;
Older generations or some parents prefer to feed their children mouth-to-mouth, or chew up food and feed them again.
These habits should be abandoned, otherwise they may transmit Helicobacter pylori in the mouth and stomach of adults to children.
She likes to drink raw water and eat raw food
In the summer, the weather is hot, some people are accustomed to eating cold food or drinking raw water to relieve the heat, if the food contains microorganisms and is not sufficiently sterilized, it is also a way to cause Helicobacter pylori infection.
Eat less irritating foods
Try to eat as little as possible that is too hot, especially hot pots, barbecues, as well as wine, coffee and spicy foods, which can irritate the gastric mucosa and reduce its resistance, thus creating conditions for Helicobacter pylori invasion.
It should be reminded that the symptoms of Helicobacter pylori are hidden, and we must pay attention to physical examination.
It is recommended that high-risk groups should have a gastroscopy every 2 to 3 years (adults under 50 years old, every 3 years; those over 50 years old, every 2 years), and ordinary people are best screened for a carbon 13 breath test in 1 to 2 years. ▲
Editor of this issue: Zhang Yu
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