H pylori Infects 50% of the Population

Statistics indicate that over half of the planet’s population may be infected with Helicobacter pylori, most commonly known as H pylori. The CDC, the Center for Disease Control, estimates the world infection rate to be two-thirds, though infection rates in the US are lower. As my father died of stomach cancer, caused by h pylori, and I was recently diagnosed with this common infection, I thought it important to inform you of the possibility that you could be infected. If you have frequent stomach aches, ulcers, or family history of stomach cancer, I would certainly get checked or follow the simple treatment guidelines below and get checked after treatment.

The discovery of Helicobacter pylori, a spiral bacterium that lives in the inhospitable environment of the human stomach, must rank amongst the greatest medical triumphs of the twentieth century. Two Australian doctors, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, discovered the bacterium in 1982. It took six long years for the medical profession to begin to acknowledge the importance of Marshall and Warren’s work and the first clinical treatment trial was conducted in 1987. Over half the planet’s population is purported to be carrying the bacteria and an estimated 5,000,000 cases of gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer occur annually as a result of the infection.