Many children have gastritis due to HP bacteria infection.

On June 28, Dr. Tran Thanh Binh, Center for Endoscopy and Endoscopic Surgery of the Digestive Endoscopy Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, announced the above information, adding that the child was found to have moderate to severe nodular gastritis due to HP (Helicobacter Pylori) infection by endoscopy. “This condition is noteworthy,” said Dr. Binh, adding that the number is almost equal to the total number of children who have had endoscopy in the hospital in the past two years. Usually, very few children are indicated for endoscopy, except in cases where abnormal signs appear and persist for a long time.

Doctor Binh explained that the discovery that many children have stomach diseases related to HP bacteria may be due to people’s increased awareness, so when children show signs of abnormalities, they are checked early. Currently, gastroscopy for children is easy to perform in hospitals, so this technique is more accessible.

HP lives and develops under the gastric mucus layer, causing diseases in the gastric mucosa. This bacteria has the ability to secrete enzymes and toxins that damage the gastric and duodenal mucosa, causing acute or chronic gastroduodenal ulcers, gastritis, gastric mucosal B lymphoma, and stomach cancer.

Children infected with HP bacteria have symptoms of abdominal pain, digestive disorders for a long time (about a year) with loss of appetite and malnutrition. However, the symptoms are not specific and are often confused with other diseases, so they are easy to ignore.

For example, Minh, 8 years old, was brought to the doctor by his parents because he was skinny and had poor appetite for nearly a year. Blood test results showed that the baby was positive for HP, likely transmitted from his parents because both were infected with HP. The doctor ordered an endoscopy and found that the baby’s stomach was severely inflamed with many inflammatory nodules.

Similarly, An, 11 years old, living in Dong Nai, came to the doctor because he was underweight, weak, ate quickly, often had upper abdominal pain, and occasionally vomited. Thinking the child was anorexic, the family changed their diet but there was no improvement. Results of a rapid HP test and endoscopy showed that baby An was positive for HP and his stomach had many inflammatory nodules.

Biopsies were taken from both children during endoscopy. The biopsies were then cultured for antibiotic sensitivity testing. Treatment regimens were based on the results of the two-week antibiotic sensitivity test and the specific age of the children. After treatment, the two children no longer had symptoms of abdominal pain or vomiting, and their health improved.

According to Dr. Binh, HP in children has a high chance of recurrence, not to mention antibiotic resistance, which reduces the effectiveness of treatment. Therefore, children need to comply with instructions and be closely monitored during treatment.

HP bacteria are transmitted from person to person through many different routes such as mouth-to-mouth due to contact with saliva or digestive fluids of people carrying the bacteria. Transmitted through the fecal-oral route due to unhygienic living and eating habits. HP infection through the stomach and mouth is often from medical equipment such as gastric endoscopy instruments and dental instruments that do not ensure sterilization processes.

According to Dr. Lam Boi Hy, Department of Pediatrics, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, about 70% of Vietnamese people are infected with HP bacteria. Among them, the rate of children suffering from gastritis due to HP is still quite high, usually in the kindergarten stage, meaning around 2-6 years old, children have a higher risk of infection. At this age, children do not know how to maintain hygiene when eating and drinking, and often eat and drink with adults who are susceptible to infection. However, not all cases carrying HP bacteria cause gastrointestinal diseases.

Doctor Boi Hy said that if one parent has HP, the child has a 30-50% risk of infection. In case the father and mother are infected with HP, the rate of child infection is up to 70-80%. In addition, the source of infection is also from classmates, other family members due to shared eating or even in the social community.

If a child is infected with HP but has no symptoms, there is no need for treatment, according to Dr. Binh. People who have symptoms such as stomach ulcers need to be actively treated to prevent complications such as persistent stomach ulcers, abdominal pain, and anemia. In severe cases, gastrointestinal bleeding can occur such as vomiting blood, black stools or perforation of the stomach and duodenum. Long-term HP infection easily turns into chronic gastritis such as atrophic gastritis, early intestinal metaplasia, high risk of stomach cancer later, and is a source of infection for people around.

HP bacteria are the leading factor causing gastric and duodenal ulcers. Doctor Thanh Binh recommends that parents take precautions and train their children to use their own personal utensils, eat well-cooked food, drink boiled water, and get adequate nutrition. When children have symptoms of suspected stomach pain, digestive disorders, vomiting, or prolonged fatigue, parents need to take their children to a reputable medical facility for examination and diagnosis.