People with a family history of gastric cancer can be tested by their doctor for H. pylori infection provided those with a positive Helicobacter Pylori result will be treated. Helicobacter Pylori result will be treated. However, screening people with no symptoms of Helicobacter Pylori  infections as a means of reducing gastric cancer is not currently recommended.

What is Helicobacter Pylori ?

- Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral shaped bacterium that has probably been in existence for many centuries.

- Helicobacter Pylori has the ability to survive in the acid pH environment of the stomach, and the infection causes inflammation of the stomach lining which play a part in gastrointestinal diseases such as dyspepsia, gastric ulcers, gastric cancer and duodenal ulcers.

How is Helicobacter Pylori linked to gastric cancer ?

- There is considerable evidence suggesting Helicobacter Pylori  as a risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. Research has shown people with Helicobacter Pylori have nearly three times risk of gastric cancer.

- Countries with high rates of gastric cancer also tend to have high levels of Helicobacter Pylori infection.

- Helicobacter Pylori is the only bacterium that has been classified as a group I or definite, cancer-causing agent (carcinogen) because of its association with gastric adenocarcinoma.

Why is Helicobacter Pylori so common in Asia Pacific ?

- Helicobacter Pylori infection is likely to be spread from person to person, by mouth.

- Eating practices in some Asia Pacific countries may be implicated. Research has suggested the use of chopsticks to pose a risk. Communal eating, sharing food from the same bowls, and eating with hands may also be important ways in which Helicobacter Pylori infection is spread.

- Densely packed living conditions, and people living within proximity to one another is also thought to be a factor for spreading Helicobacter Pylori.

How common is gastric cancer ?

- Gastric cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the world, causing more than 750,000 deaths annually.

How can Helicobacter Pylori infection be treated ?

- Helicobacter Pylori can be successfully eradicated with triple therapy based on antibiotics plus an acid blocker.

- Recent studies have shown eradication rates of more than 90% with one week's treatment with acid blocker omeprazole plus combinations of the antibiotics clarithromyin, and either amoxicilin or metronidazole.

- Clarithromycin is the only antibiotic recommended in all choices for first-line treatment regimes recommended by the Asia Pacific Consensus.

- Once Helicobacter Pylori has been eradicated in adults, recurrence is rare.

What is Dyspepsia, and how is it linked to Helicobacter Pylori ?

- Dyspepsia (indigestion) is abdominal pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, often brought on by eating, which persists for two weeks or longer, and is severe enough to cause the sufferer to seek medical advice.

- Symptoms include heartburn, abdominal pain, nausea and flatulence (excessive wind).

- The Helicobacter Pylori causes inflammation of the stomach lining which plays a part in diseases such as dyspepsia.

How can dyspepsia be treated ?

- Current treatments vary throughout Asia Pacific depending on the availability of endoscopy (a technique which involves looking into the stomach with a narrow tube).

- The consensus suggested three treatment pathways (algorithms), depending on the prevalence of gastric cancer, and access to procedures such as endoscopy.