Does that sound great? It is said that eating, sleeping and kissing are contagious! So, is Helicobacter pylori really that powerful?
Is it true that kissing can infect Helicobacter pylori?
First of all, Helicobacter pylori infection is indeed an infectious disease. The whole infection process is inseparable from three elements: the source of infection, the route of transmission and the susceptible population.
Brief description &; Infection only happens when pathogens in the source of infection come into contact with people who may be infected through some kind of contact.
As far as kissing is concerned, in addition to the courtesy kiss, the deep kiss of love has a lot of saliva exchange, this kind of intimate contact. To answer the above questions, we only need to pay attention to the "source of infection" and "susceptible population".
1. Sources and routes of transmission
Let's talk about the source of infection first. The process of kissing is saliva exchange, so only if there is enough Helicobacter pylori in saliva or mouth is a qualified source of infection. We all know that Helicobacter pylori mainly exists in the stomach. However, the study of oral Helicobacter pylori has always been a hot spot, trying to better understand the complete transmission route of Helicobacter pylori in human body.
In early studies, the detection rate of oral Helicobacter pylori was very high, but recently many of them were found to be false positive, which was caused by inaccurate detection methods.
Recent studies suggest that the detection rate of Helicobacter pylori in oral cavity is very low, and the bacterial activity and quantity are insufficient, which may be caused by gastric acid reflux and other reasons.
Saliva as a source of infection has been questioned. The infection rate of Helicobacter pylori among dentists who come into contact with saliva is completely equal to that of the general population, which also proves from the side that saliva can not provide enough Helicobacter pylori pathogens.
2. Susceptible population
Let's talk about susceptible people first. The deep kiss of saliva exchange is between adults. Are there a large number of people infected with Helicobacter pylori among adults?
Epidemiological evidence shows that the vast majority of Helicobacter pylori infections occur before the age of 5. With the increase of age, the new infection rate gradually decreases, and the recurrence of infection in adulthood is relatively rare. It may be related to the changes of immunity and gastric environment.
However, there will be many "self-expression" objections when conveying the view that it is difficult for adults to be infected with Helicobacter pylori. Even many doctors are hesitant and confused, mistakenly thinking that adults are easily infected.
One misconception is that the older the population, the higher the proportion of Helicobacter pylori infection.
But this does not mean that Helicobacter pylori gradually infects adults, but with the improvement of living standards, the probability of children getting sick decreases. In the 1990s, when children were just born, the chances of infection were much less than in the 1950s, which is why the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in developed countries is lower than that in developing countries.
The second misunderstanding is some personal experiences. Some people will say, "I cured Helicobacter pylori before, and then I found it again."
In fact, a large part of it is not really "cured", but Helicobacter pylori becomes inactive during the treatment, changes its shape and function, and evades inspection. "One more time" is just reactivation. This is usually the result if you don't check up as required for more than 4 weeks after the end of treatment.
In addition, there are some "rechecks" related to the inspection accuracy. There is no perfect test. The most commonly used breath test has a sensitivity of about 90% and a specificity of about 95%. After 100 tests, the positive person will be mistaken for negative 10 times, and the negative person will be mistaken for positive 5 times.
If the breath test is done every year for five years, even if it has nothing to do with Helicobacter pylori from head to toe, there is a 23% chance of a positive error. If you continue to do 10 years, the probability of making mistakes will increase to more than 40%. Enough to give you the wrong "experience".
In order to get rid of these misconceptions, adults are not easily infected with Helicobacter pylori.
Although it is not completely ruled out, saliva is probably not a qualified source of Helicobacter pylori infection, and adults are rarely infected with Helicobacter pylori. Two small probability events are superimposed together, so we dare to say:
There is no evidence that adult kissing can lead to mutual infection of Helicobacter pylori.
How to prevent and treat Helicobacter pylori infection?
1. Change the toothbrush regularly, disinfect the cup on time, and use mouthwash in the morning and evening.
2. If someone is infected at home, be sure to divide meals, and disinfect the tableware with a household disinfection cabinet after each meal every day.
3. Don't take medicine blindly for stomach trouble. After the diagnosis, you must go to a regular hospital for symptomatic treatment, so as not to fully recover for a long time and eventually develop gastritis or atrophic gastritis.
4. During the treatment, you can't eat sour food, including drinking yogurt, otherwise the treatment will be in vain.
Bian Xiao tells you:
If you have stomach upset and want to know whether you are infected with Helicobacter pylori, go to the hospital for examination, so that Helicobacter pylori can be exposed immediately. If you are infected with Helicobacter pylori, don't panic. Active treatment can maintain gastrointestinal health.