Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common chronic bacterial infections in humans, with more than 50% of the world's population infected with these bacteria It is a micro-aerophilic, slow-growing, gram-negative spiral bacterium that colonizes the mucous lining of the human stomach. Warren and Marshall first cultured and identified the organism as Campylobacter pylori in 1982. In 1989, it was renamed and recognized to be associated closely with antral gastritis (gastric and duodenal ulcers in adults and children). Further evidence supported a link between chronic gastritis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in adults and malignancy, specifically gastric lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. Infection with this bacterium has been identified as a cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Globally, the prevalence of H. pylori-related infection is high compared to any other infectious diseases, and the rate of prevalence much higher in developing countries than in developed nations.