HISTORY OF HELICOBACTER INFECTION

Helicobacter pylori infection is now recognized as the cause of most c ases of chronic gastritis, and a major causal factor in peptic ulcer d isease. However, though the presence of intragastric bacteria has been recognized for many years, the connection between H. pylori and pepti c ulcers has only been established during the last decade. pathologica l studies have suggested that intragastric bacteria damage the gastric mucosa, reducing its resistance to acid, while epidemiological studie s have suggested that a nonphysiological factor, such as bacterial inf ection, is involved in the development of peptic ulcer. Subsequently, H. pylori, associated with chronic gastritis, was identified in gastri c biopsies from patients with peptic ulcer. Eradication of H. pylori h as been shown to reduce the recurrence of peptic ulcer after ulcer hea ling, and such treatment is now widely accepted.