Stomach Flu

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1980, the clearinghouse provides information about digestive diseases to people with digestive […]

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CDC, with partners in other government agencies, academic institutions, and industry, is conducting a national education campaign to inform health care providers and consumers of the link between H. pylori and stomach and duodenal ulcers. CDC is also working with partners to study routes of transmission and possible prevention measures, and to establish an antimicrobial […]

Since the source of H. pylori is not yet known, recommendations for avoiding infection have not been made. In general, it is always wise for persons to wash hands thoroughly, to eat food that has been properly prepared, and to drink water from a safe, clean source.

It is not known how H. pylori is transmitted or why some patients become symptomatic while others do not. The bacteria are most likely spread from person to person through fecal-oral or oral-oral routes. Possible environmental reservoirs include contaminated water sources. Iatrogenic spread through contaminated endoscopes has been documented but can be prevented by proper […]

Recent studies have shown an association between long-term infection with H. pylori and the development of gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide; it is most common in countries such as Colombia and China, where H. pylori infects over half the population in early childhood. In the United States, where H. […]

Therapy for H. pylori infection consists of 10 days to 2 weeks of one or two effective antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, tetracycline (not to be used for children <12 yrs.), metronidazole, or clarithromycin, plus either ranitidine bismuth citrate, bismuth subsalicylate, or a proton pump inhibitor. Acid suppression by the H2 blocker or proton pump inhibitor […]

Several methods may be used to diagnose H. pylori infection. Serological tests that measure specific H. pylori IgG antibodies can determine if a person has been infected. The sensitivity and specificity of these assays range from 80% to 95% depending upon the assay used. Another diagnostic method is the breath test. In this test, the […]

Persons with active gastric or duodenal ulcers or documented history of ulcers should be tested for H. pylori, and if found to be infected, they should be treated. To date, there has been no conclusive evidence that treatment of H. pylori infection in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia is warranted. Testing for and treatment of H. […]

Approximately 25 million Americans suffer from peptic ulcer disease at some point in their lifetime. Each year there are 500,000 to 850,000 new cases of peptic ulcer disease and more than one million ulcer-related hospitalizations. The most common ulcer symptom is gnawing or burning pain in the epigastrium. This pain typically occurs when the stomach […]