Helicobacter Forums

I am writing to you for my sister, pleading to you to consider my request for information and understanding of H Pylori. My sister was diagnosed with H Pylori in February 2009. She did 2 rounds of the antibiotic pack before her urea breathing test results were negative. Even though we were told that the H Pylori was eridcated she continued to have the same symptoms and her health has been on a rapid decline. For the last 3 years I have been reading as many articles and clinical testing on H Pylori and the associated diseases (gut microbial infections) from the enteric pathogen causing immune inflamation.
I am no means a medical doctor or medical researcher, just a very concerned person in hope for answers or help for my sister.
Since February 2009 her health problems have elevated. She now has breast cancer, lung and heart problems. With all this at hand, I cannot find any medical professionalist that understands H Pylori that can help my sister. The whole idea of this connection of H Pylori (associated diseases) will not be addressed leaving my sister's health being tossed about and nothing being done for her. She has to return to the Windsor, Ontario Canada Cancer Center as they have discovered the her right breast (tumor removed in December 2011) may have a sonoma or another mass. We are told that this sonoma is a leakage from the red and white blood cells.
My points I am trying to understand for my sister's health is in different Abstracts from PubMed:
August 2006 - Immune inflammatory response against enteric bacteria Helicobacter hepaticus induces mammary adenocarcinoma in mice. Inflammation associated with bacterial infections is a risk factor for cancers in humans, yet its role in breast cancer remains poorly understood. The possibility that dysregulated gut microbial infections in humans may lead to cancer in anatomicall distant organs, such as breast.
September 1993 - Regression primary low-grade B-cell gastric lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type after eridaciation of Helicobacter pylori. These reults suggest that eradication of H pylori causes regression of low-grade B-cell gastric Malt lymphoma and that anti-Hpylori treatmnt should be given for this lymphoma.
medicalnewstoday H Pylori a carcinogen. Risk of cancer of the pancreas associatedwith helicobacter pylori infection (infection of the stomach with ulcer-causing bacter H Pylori.
March 2012 - NIH Clinical Center They are recruiting participants for this Clinical Study (I have contacted them for my sister) Clinical Study for the role of helicobacter pylori and its toxins in Lung and digestive system diseases.
UK medical journal- It appears that the spcific srain og H pylori that you're infected with has an import bearing on symptoms and diseases that my develop. One strain, known as Cag-A, seems to be problematic and is associated with not only ulcers and cancer, but also heart disease.
NIH - June 2008 - Gastric Cancer Stem Cells. Abundant evidence demonstrates that H Pylori infection is the primary rish factor for noncardia gastric cancer, responsible for a least two thirds of cases. On the primary basis of early epidermiologic studies, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (a branch of WHO in 1994 classified H pylori as a class 1 carcinogen. However, with respect to the proximal gastric tumors, commonly known as the cardia type of gastric cancer, conflicting data have been reported with respect to the association H Pylori.
aha journals - stroke February 13, 2003 - Increased risks of Atherosclerosis is confined to CagA-Positive Helicober pylori strains - the role of H pylori in the pathogenesis of coronary artery diseases. This remains controversial dued to limited evidence for a positive relationship.
Also from British journal - My copy has been given to my sister's family physician. Helicobacter Pylori is a bug in stomach that can cause ulcers...it can also lead to stomach cancer! Recently, it has been proven certain strain can cuse premature myocarial infaction which appears to be restricted to cagA bearing strains through the promotion of an enhanced inflammatory rsponse. Also these strains destroy and colongize in the mucosal lining of the stomach and travel through the blood circulatory cells.

Another questions for me is how a carrier of H Pylori or fecal matter tissue can infect an individual if this was in a drink that an individual ingested?

Fr

Hi,

If your sister's breath test is negative, there is no reason to believe that other H. pylori exist. It's a very slow growing bacteria and will take weeks for them to grow back. Then again, it depends how negative is your sister's UBT result. If it's below 50 dpm (c14) or 2% (c13), then I would say it's true negative. If it's around 200 dpm or 3-4% c13, then it will be considered as inconclusive and the test should be repeated 4 weeks later.

About the association of CagA strain to ulcer, cancer, or MALT-lymphoma, is true. Then again, H. pylori is just one small factor that contribute to the cancer development. Genetic inheritance and diet are the bigger factor for the cancer development (especially genetic factor). So, if you carried the cancer gene, you are in higher risk of cancer and the diet and H. pylori just accelerate the happening of cancer.

Another example: Cancer development is like driving a car. Driving on the recommended speed is regarded as "safe". However, if you drive 10% faster than recommended, the risk is still controllable. If the weather is raining or snowing, the risk by itself is also controllable. If you had a bit of alcohol before driving, then again, the risk by itself is again sort of controllable. All these factors by itself is.. controllable but when you have everything together, the risk become high.

On the other hand, recent study in Canada natives have shown higher risk of gastric caner than other population. High salt in take was believed to be the reason. Then again, more studies are needed to confirm such claim.

The transmission of H. pylori is still not yet confirmed. It is believed to be oral route. However, H. pylori hardly survive outside human body. Scientist are still trying very hard to culture H. pylori from human mouth. DNA of H. pylori has been commonly detected from human mouth, but viable H. pylori is rarely confirmed.

At the moment, H. pylori is still believed to only associate with gastric disease. It does not travel in blood to other internal organs. It cannot even compete with the intestine normal flora due to its slow growth.

In conclusion, your sister's disease is most likely "pre-exist". H. pylori probably accelerated the problem. But, since H. pylori had been removed, you should focus on the damage dealt. If you know any of your relatives also have similar disease, eg. cancer or tumour, then you yourself should also have more frequent monitoring.

Check the results from the second breathing test approx 5 months later and it is a true negative. No endo was done. So are you saying that if this conditions existed, that having H Pylori would accelerate these conditions? ie breast cancer?
thanks

Sorry for the confusion. I meant H. pylori may accelerate the problems in the stomach. Cancer anywhere else, eg. Breast, is probably nothing to do with H. pylori.