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Australian public health policy on H. Pylori eradication?

Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:41 am
by Jhillard
I am a Physician and a Professor at Michigan State University in the US. I am also, much to my amazement, alive with no evidence of disease three years after starting trastuzumab (Herceptin) infusions for stage 4, metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. The pathology exam after my gastrectomy showed helicobacter. Over the years, I had had some mild dyspepsia, but never got tested for H. Pylori. I do not have any first degree relative who has had stomach cancer or peptic ulcers, but I do have a paternal aunt who died of stomach cancer.

In the US, it is not standard procedure to test and treat patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia, but I understand that it is the standard of care to do so in most of East Asia. I also understand that Japan last year decided to begin the process of eradicating Helicobacter throughout the whole country.

So my question is whether there is a specific Australia-wide protocol for who and when to test and treat for H. pylori.

Thank you for maintaining this wonderful site.

Re: Australian public health policy on H. Pylori eradication

Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 9:12 pm
by Helico_expert
There is no Australia-wide protocol to test and treat H. pylori. However, the general rule is, if the patient comes in to do a test, he expects treatment if it is positive.

In US, there is a group of scientist believes that H. pylori is beneficial to children. Because they claim that H. pylori infection has inverse correlation with allergies, asthma, and obesity.

Nevertheless, children as young as 2 years old can already been infected. I dont think there is a standard protocol when to treat the positive patients.