Diagnosis questions

[tornado82]

I recently tested positive for H. Pylori and am undergoing treatment now. My diagnosis was made after I requested the blood test be performed. The doctor called me and simply said blood test came back positive and I began treatment. What I would like to do however is dig into the meat of the blood test diagnosis. Ive seen a few things on this forum and other places that have brought questions Id like to find some answers to. Ill just go down the list with some of my questions and hope someone can shed some light on these topics:

1. I've seen it mentioned that the blood test only shows positive for a duration of time, or that it can gauge how recent your infection took place. Is this true? For example: I am 31 years old now. Could I have gotten H. Pylori many years ago, and still show positive blood test result? Or, does my positive blood test result mean that my infection was recent? I'm curious to know what the likelihood is that I contracted H. Pylori very recently or whether I may have had it for years and only just found it.

2. I've seen it mentioned also that Blood tests can show a false positive. How is that possible? It would seem like a big mistake to show positive and then begin the rough treatment process which throws your digestive tract out of whack with the killing of beneficial bacteria. I am already undergoing treatment, but Id like to know that If I am doing all this treatment that it is because I really need it. How common are false positives with blood testing for H. Pylori? Insight on how this is possible would also be appreciated.

3. Somewhat unrelated but another concern I have had is the possibility that I may have transferred H. Pylori to my girlfrend. I have read that H. Pylori could possibly be passed via saliva, which could mean that kissing could potentially infect a spouse or lover. My girlfriend has had no symptoms at any time, but I am trying to cover all bases here. How likely is it that saliva could transmit H. Pylori to another person? Have there been any studies on this subject?

Any insight that can be provided surrounding the blood test for h. pylori would be greatly appreciated. Ive read extensively about it online but still have some questions like those above that ive not found answers to.

[Helico_expert]

Sorry for the slow response, the whole H. pylori team is having a conference trip in Denmark now.

1. I have answered the blood test question here.
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=204746#p209906
to add more information, if it is recent infection, you'll have more IgM in your blood. If it is longer than a few weeks, then you'll have IgG in the blood. However, if you had infection and had H. pylori eradicated and got reinfected again, you'll always have IgG detected. So, it is almost useless to test for IgM unless you are certain that you had never been positive and only just got infected.

2. how blood test can show false positive is also mentioned in above link. However, if it is not clear, ask again and I will explain in a clearer manner.

3. It is possible that H. pylori to be transmitted via saliva. However, it has not been proven. Because no one has successfully and consistently culture viable H. pylori from mouth. But, I believe it is possible to find viable H. pylori in the mouth and you only need one event of transferring via saliva, and the other party will be infected. We have studies that show couples carrying "same" H. pylori strains. So it is possible for H. pylori to be transmitted among couple via food and drinks (and sometimes via domestic animals like cats and dogs).

[tornado82]

Thanks that does clear up some questions I had. I have no idea what my blood results actually showed unfortunately. My doctor just called me and said it came back positive. I have never had any problems with my stomach that I can really remember. Im lactose intolerant but aside from that I dont recall every having h. pylori side effects in my stomach. As Ive told others, I woke up one day with chest pain that we believe was some inflammation of the esophogus, due to an apparent acid reflux episode that came out of no where. Felt like something stuck in my chest, and then I began having some post nasal drip symptoms with mucous sitting in the throat which felt like little food particles that wouldnt go down. All of those issues have cleared up now, and I began the h. pylori treatment right away. Maybe next time I go to my doctors office I can get the actual test results, if they will give them to me. My doctor doesnt seem to be any expert on H. Pylori, and I feel like I may be one of the first people they have treated with it. I just get this impression when speaking to them on the phone. Hopefully they do understand the blood test results and what they suggest.

Now I have to consider wether I ever kiss my g/f again lol. She could have been the one who got me infected if it is possible via saliva.

How does h. pylori actually behave in people who have no symptoms? My reading has suggested to me that H. Pylori only causes ulcers and such problems in certain people, and in the majority of people they have no complications from the bacteria (some even argue that H. Pylori is a good thing in the stomach). Is it possible to have an ulcer from h. pylori, then undergo treatment which eradicates it and heals the damage, then be re-infected but have no symptons the 2nd time? Or, if H. Pylori causes problems, is it the case that It will always cause problem for that individual, even if reinfected years later and all damage is healed? I guess im wondering if the complications caused by H. Pylori are a chronic problem with specific people for some reason. It is interesting that only certain people have complications while others live a full long life and never even know its there.

[Helico_expert]

Just get your girlfriend to do a breath test. That will give you confidence in kissing her again. Then again, it is not just H. pylori that MAY be transmitted. There is a whole list of chronic pathogen which I dont want to go into. Cannot be too paranoid on these things.

in terms of what H. pylori do to asymptomatic people, well... all H. pylori causes gastritis. The severity of the disease seems not to correlate to H. pylori strain. Strangely, it's more to do with: 1. Host genetic; 2. diet; then 3. H. pylori. I believe (no evidence, only hypothetical) H. pylori is the catalyst that speed up the problem. For example, if a patient carries a stomach cancer gene, it is just a matter of time for the cancer to develop. H. pylori in this case, just speed up the process.

[tornado82]

Lol, you never think about how many things I guess you can get just from a kiss. You never hear of such things. I will refrain from researching out these other pathogens you mention or Ill end up becoming a germaphobe and locking myself in the bathroom like some crazy people, lol.

It is surprising to hear that H. Pylori does in fact affect everyone that it infects. From my reading it seemed it only affected a minority of people, and doesnt cause any problem in the majority. Over half the world have the bacteria in their stomach. Pretty substantial. Hopefully a 100% cure is found one day, and one that isnt as brutal as triple and quadruple therapy is on the gut.

[Helico_expert]

Some scientist even think that H. pylori is a good bacteria like E. coli in human. In fact, it has accompanied human since the very beginning before the out of africa migration, 60,000 years ago.

In US, researchers have found negative correlation between obesity and allergies among H. pylori positive patients. Two groups of children, with and without H. pylori were followed for some time and the group without H. pylori was shown to have higher asthma and obesity rate. Similar study was also proven in mouse model. So, perhaps we should infect children with H. pylori and get ride of them when they grow up.

[tornado82]

Very interesting... Why then does H. Pylori cause ulcers in people and even gastric cancer? Its interesting how it seems to bother many yet not bother others. Is it perhaps something else in an individuals life that causes H. Pylori to become problematic? Maybe something in our diet that is the cause? Its interesting to think about. Im glad to be so much better informed on this than I was 2 weeks ago. I had never heard of H. Pylori 3 weeks ago.

[Helico_expert]

although not proven, I believe it is to do with host immune response. It is true that individual with stronger immune response correlate with severity of the stomach disease. It is the immune cells, secreting the enzymes killing the bacteria and the gastric cells, which leads to ulceration. and it is the active cell division, while replenishing the dead cells, errors happen and started the cancer cells.

[tornado82]

What you say makes a lot of sense. Has there ever been any correlation between auto immune disorders and H. Pylori symptoms? Say Psoriasis or Vitiligo? I have Vitiligo, which for those who may read this later is where the immune system attacks and kills the cells in the skin that produce the pigmentation. What you end up with are white spots, blotches, or entire area's of the body that are pale white. Im a fair skinned person so no one even notices that my hands have lost 95% of their pigmentation and about 70% of my arms, unless I point it out and you really look. Its extremely noticeable in African American's however. I've often wondered if this condition, though completely harmless by medical standards, could suggest that the immune system could cause problems elsewhere in the body as well. Im certainly no doctor but its a thought Ive often had, because It would seem to make logical sense that if the immune system attacks healthy skin cells it is clearly a sign that the immune system is a little off, or over active, or something that isnt completely normal. A positive to vitiligo is there is a correlation between lower instances of skin cancer in people who have vitiligo. It is thought by some that the immune system essentially attacks and kills these pigment producing cells before cancer can/could develope- or so Ive read. The last couple of years Ive noticed my vitiligo has sped up and spread, even showing up on the back of my neck now.

Maybe Im in left field, but to someone with no medical training or schooling I just think it sounds logical. If the immune system is clearly overactive in one area of the body, perhaps it is overactive in other areas as well. Or, maybe not. Its interesting to think about though, and I appreciate your information and insight Helico_expert!

[Helico_expert]

I think you have the right logic, but I am not expert in immunology, so I cannot answer you in confidence. Let's hope there will be a immunologist that can answer your question.