Helicobacter pylori

Dyspepsia is a common disease and it is common in the community.  The  aim of this review is to know the information regarding dyspepsia, and to assess the frequency of various causes of dyspepsia. Dyspepsia is the commonest gastrointestinal problem affecting at least 25% of the population during a year. Its prevalence varies in different countries, depending upon the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection, obesity, drug - alcohol - tobacco intake and spices in diet. Dyspepsia is common in different surveys in western societies have recorded prevalence between 23 and 41%. For many people dyspeptic symptoms are an unavoidable part of living. A minority of those sufferers who do consult can become major consumers of resource. About 4% of general practice consultations are for dyspepsia and 2% of the entire adult population receive either an endoscopy or barium meal each year. Time lost from work and interference with quality of  life are more difficult to measure but are likely to be considerable.

Peptic ulcer disease had a tremendous effect on morbidity and mortality until the last decades of the 20th century, when epidemiological trends started to point to an impressive fall in its incidence. Two important developments are associated with the decrease in rates of peptic ulcer disease: the discovery of effective and potent acid suppressants and of Helicobacter pylori. With the discovery of H. pylori infection, the causes, pathogenesis, and treatment of peptic ulcer disease have been rewritten. The inhibition of gastric acid secretion is a key therapeutic target for the ulcer diseases (viz., peptic, duodenal ulcers or that through H. pylori infection), gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), Zollinger–Ellison syndrome (Z-E), and gastritis. Currently this is achieved by blocking the acid secretary effect of histamine (HA) through the use of H2-receptor antagonists or the irreversible H+/K+-ATPase inhibitors, popularly referred to as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The incidence of ulcer diseases shows global variation and their treatment should be designed to alleviate the symptoms. Key words: Peptic ulcer, Helicobacter pylori, Zollinger–Ellison syndrome