Helicobacter pylori can cause cancer

Dear Dr. Roach: My 82-year-old husband was diagnosed with H. pylori and was treated with two antibiotics and omeprazole. Would you please expand on what exactly H. pylori is?

T.R.

Answer: Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria species that is able to live in the stomach. H. pylori is the underlying cause of most stomach and duodenal ulcers. Treatment helps speed recovery and prevent recurrence of disease.

H. pylori is hard to kill. A common regimen is clarithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole. Unfortunately, treating the infection is effective at curing symptoms only a minority of the time.

H. pylori increases the risk of stomach cancer and is the cause of most cases of a cancer called a MALToma. People with this unusual cancer often are cured with successful treatment of H. pylori, making it the first known cancer to be cured with antibiotics.

Dear Dr. Roach: My doctor heard a heart murmur and sent me for an echocardiogram. This showed that I have some heart thickening due to high blood pressure, but that my valves are OK. The doctor said the murmur came from “aggressive heart muscle contractions.”

I’m 68, and my blood pressure is around 140/76. What can I expect my heart health to be as I age? I exercise 150 minutes per week. Should I still push myself?

B.G.

Answer: I looked at your echocardiogram report, and these findings are indeed consistent with hypertensive heart disease.

Fortunately, this condition is usually treatable. At the time of the echo, your blood pressure was 158/76. Meticulous blood pressure control, ideally with an ACE inhibitor and often a beta blocker, is the best treatment for your condition. With good control, the heart can start to return to normal. Sometimes a 24-hour blood pressure monitor can help decide whether the medication is enough.

Regular exercise is absolutely still indicated, but I don’t recommend overexerting yourself until you speak with your cardiologist about it.