ULCER CURE

Scientists have developed a kit to detect an 
elusive bacterium that causes stomach ulcer, writes Biplab Das

Hundreds of thousands of people in underdeveloped countries succumb to ulcers in their stomach and intestine. And most of the damage is done by a water-borne bug, Helicobacter pylori - so far underestimated by the medical community. Now researchers are waking up to an increasing number of stomach cancer cases, which begin as ulcers created by the bacteria. 

For many years the scientists have searched for the right antidote to battle out peptic ulcer. In most cases they prescribe antacids to protect the walls of the stomach and duodenum from the corrosive action of digestive acids. The acids, meant for breaking down protein in food, cut through the protective acid-mucin barrier in an ulcerous stomach. Whenever acid attacks the walls there are bouts of acute pain. Incessant attacks ultimately lead to cancer in the digestive tract. 

"H. pylori is the commonest cause of peptic ulcer," wrote a group of researchers from the University of Michigan Medical Centre, in a recent issue of Journal of Gastroenterology. In an extensive study they discovered that almost all ulcer patients had the bacteria harbouring on their gut. The researchers discovered that if the ulcer patients are made to undergo a simple test before the acid-blocking drugs are applied, the disease can be prevented easily. 

The team led by A. Frederick used a computer simulation of ulcer patients divided into two treatment groups. The first group was provided with medicines that would immediately eradicate the bug. The second group received the conventional treatment that stops the secretion of digestive acid and uses antibiotics to kill H. pylori until the situation gets out of control. 

After one year of the treatment it was found that patients who received immediate bacteria eradication treatment had dramatically improved condition with either short-lived or fewer ulcer symptoms. "The immediate H. pylori treatment had 22 per cent lower rate of ulcer recurrence, 10 per cent fewer ulcer symptoms and the cost per patient reduced by 24 per cent compared to those who received uninterrupted acid-blocking medication," reported the researchers. 

The study can help design a treatment schedule for ulcer patients in a country like India. The gastroenterologists should check the presence of the bacteria whenever symptoms of ulcer show. Nowadays a simple test kit is available to perform the blood test in a clinic. Once the bacteria is identified, patients can undergo a two-week course of antibiotics along with another drug to bring down the acid levels in the stomach. This simple method of treatment also reduces the chances of stomach cancer.