Is treatment necessary for HP in children?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Vo Thi Thuy Trang, Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital

Helicobacter pylori (scientific name: Helicobacter pylori) is known to be a type of bacteria that lives and grows in the stomach organs. This type of bacteria can enter the human body through many different ways, living and growing in the human stomach.

Helicobacter pylori often does not show obvious symptoms or is often confused with other diseases. Here are 5 signs to recognize HP infection in children parents need to pay attention to:

Children infected with HP bacteria often have abdominal pain due to damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa. This condition can be repeated many times, the pain level increases after eating. If adults only have pain in the epigastrium, HP bacteria in children can cause pain in many different locations. This makes it easy for parents to confuse with common digestive diseases.

Helicobacter pylori in children causes the child's digestive system to work abnormally, causing food stagnation, creating pressure gas in the child's stomach. When the child eats, the pressure in the stomach increases, making the child tend to vomit to reduce the pressure in the stomach. HP bacteria in children also make children prone to bloating, loss of appetite, fatigue, and malnutrition.

Helicobacter pylori in children affects the digestion of food. Children may experience symptoms of digestive disorders such as constipation, diarrhea ...

HP bacteria exist in saliva, plaque in the mouth, causing bad breath in children.

Helicobacter pylori in children can cause damage to the stomach lining if not treated early. Children infected with HP bacteria will show symptoms such as vomiting blood, passing stools, black stools, anemia, and pale skin. When seeing a child experiencing these symptoms, parents need to take the child to a doctor soon for timely treatment and avoid unfortunate consequences.

Treatment of HP in children is very important. Early treatment will limit dangerous complications. Helicobacter pylori can cause stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. Therefore, when detecting HP bacteria in children, parents need early treatment to treat the disease completely and completely. However, even after being treated, HP bacteria still have the ability to recur because children have not been able to fully recognize and prevent pathogens.
If a child is infected with HP bacteria without symptoms, it does not need treatment, not all cases of HP infection are completely harmful. If there are no symptoms, the presence of HP bacteria is like a symbiotic bacteria, bringing a number of effects to the body. As recommended by medical experts, patients need to treat HP bacteria thoroughly in some of the following cases:
Gastric and duodenal ulcers: Failure to destroy HP bacteria can cause stomach ulcers, duodenum even relapsed many times. In case the child shows symptoms of indigestion, affecting the function of the digestive system Hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia of unknown cause Stomach cancer despite surgery Iron deficiency, anemia Cases of family members such as: father, mother, brother, sister with a history of stomach cancer Atrophy of the gastric mucosa To treat HP bacteria in young children, the doctor will prescribe at least 2 antibiotics in combination. In addition, the child needs to take additional drugs that suppress or suppress stomach acid. The course of treatment lasts at least 2 weeks or possibly longer. However, the treatment of HP in children is quite difficult because of the following reasons:
Recurrence rate in children is high. Difficulty in complying with the treatment course because children are prone to side effects such as nausea, digestive disorders, bitter mouth... HP bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment regimen. The treatment of HP bacteria in children should be performed by highly qualified doctors at reputable and quality medical facilities to bring the best effect.

If you have unusual symptoms, you should be examined and consulted with a specialist.