H. pylori infection

Stomach ulcers

A stomach ulcer is a sore or hole inside your stomach. It happens when the lining of your stomach gets damaged.

Your stomach normally contains acid, which helps break down the food you eat. If the lining of your stomach is damaged, the acid can seep through it and damage the cells underneath.

About 8 in 10 stomach ulcers are caused by H. pylori.

Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcer disease.
Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ulcer (accessed on 1 October 2009).

¹ H. pylori lives in your stomach and may damage its lining.

You can also get stomach ulcers if you're taking

NSAIDs
NSAID stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. NSAIDs help with pain, inflammation and fever. They are called 'nonsteroidal' because they don't contain any steroids. Aspirin and ibuprofen are both NSAIDs.

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs for short), such as aspirin. These drugs can also damage the lining of your stomach. NSAIDs are commonly used to treat aches and pains, including some serious conditions such as arthritis.

If you're taking NSAIDs and you have H. pylori you are more likely to get an ulcer than if you're taking NSAIDs but you don't have H. pylori. One large study looked at how many people taking NSAIDs got a stomach ulcer. It found that:

Source:
Huang J-Q, Sridhar S, Hunt RH.
Role of Helicobacter pylori infection and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in peptic ulcer disease: a meta-analysis.
Lancet. 2002; 359: 14-22.

42 in 100 people who had H. pylori got a stomach ulcer
26 in 100 people who didn't have H. pylori got a stomach ulcer.

Sources for the information on this page:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcer disease.Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ulcer (accessed on 1 October 2009).

Huang J-Q, Sridhar S, Hunt RH.Role of Helicobacter pylori infection and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in peptic ulcer disease: a meta-analysis.Lancet. 2002; 359: 14-22.

This information was last updated on Nov 10, 2009

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