 |
|
|
|
|
| Burden of Illness |
|
|
The bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, causes most gastric and duodenal ulcers (also identified as peptic ulcer disease, or PUD). Therefore, PUD related to H. pylori can be diagnosed and treated according to the classic methods of infectious disease medicine. The other significant cause of PUD, which can usually be identified through careful history-taking, is the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In addition, a series of studies support an association between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, uninvestigated dyspepsia, iron-deficiency anemia, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. |
|
|
