Gastric Pain Can Be Caused By Bacteria Too!

Have you wondered why you eat every meal on time but still have gastric attacks? It may be caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori). These bacteria normally will cause the inflammation and irritation of your gastrointestinal lining or commonly known as gastritis. Common symptoms experienced by infected individuals are loss of appetite, bad breath, indigestion, bloating and burping.   

H.pylori can be found in saliva, plaque on teeth and stool. Therefore, it can easily spread via kissing and pass by direct contact with vomit or stool. H.pylori is highly infectious bacteria and if individuals don’t utilise serving spoons or chopsticks, and do not pay attention to hygiene when having the meals, they are vulnerable to infection.

Hot Pot meals are famous nowadays but individuals using the same chopsticks for cooking raw and cooked dishes may result in cross-contamination. Remember to use serving spoons or chopsticks will reduce the risk of getting H.pylori infection as mostly people infected with  H.pylori are asymptomatic (show no symptoms). Washing your hands before having a meal Disinfect all of your dishes at home on a regular basis and boiling utensils in a pot are a useful method to reduce our risk to infection.

Moreover, mostly parents will attempt to chew food with their mouths or blow cold food before feeding it to children, this small action will increase the risk of infection.

Avoid taking raw food and untreated water is effective to prevent H.pylori infection.
Fear no more, it can be easily diagnosed by using Urea Breath Test or stool test.
Moreover, H.pylori can be easily treated by using a combination of antibiotics and an acid-reducing proton pump inhibitor.

If you have any enquiries do drop by to your nearest CARiNG Pharmacy to visit our CARiNG pharmacists!

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