In most cases, a person only finds out about it once an ulcer develops or, in the worst case, cancer. The university hospitals of LMU and TUM have launched the largest study to date in Munich screening for these dangerous bacteria, offering anyone the chance to be tested completely free of charge.
How the bacterium spreads and why it is dangerous
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is transmitted from person to person, most often via the mouth. Infection usually occurs in childhood, passed on by parents. For example, when a mother or father licks a spoon while feeding a child, they pass on their own bacteria to the child. Infection in adulthood is fairly rare in Germany, since every adult has already built up immunity, and hygiene habits reduce the risk of transmission from an infected person.
Once inside the body, the bacterium always attaches itself to the stomach wall – precisely the spot where stomach acid cannot destroy it. There, it is also virtually unreachable for the immune system and often remains in the carrier’s body for life, unless the infection is detected and treated.
The discovery of this bacterial mechanism once overturned medicine‘s understanding of the origin of stomach ulcers. Until the 1980s, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease were thought to be linked primarily to stress and diet. Australian scientists Barry Marshall and Robin Warren proved the bacterial nature of the disease and received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for this discovery in 2005. Since then, the World Health Organisation has classified Helicobacter pylori as a Group 1 carcinogen.
Consequences of infection:
- chronic inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis);
- stomach or duodenal ulcers – in 10-20% of carriers;
- stomach cancer – in 1-2% of carriers;
- the bacterium accounts for around 90% of all stomach cancer cases worldwide.
“Every year, 15,000 new cases of infection with this bacterium are recorded in Germany,” noted Professor Christian Schulz, senior physician at LMU’s Second Medical Clinic. According to him, early diagnosis could prevent up to 13,000 cases of stomach cancer annually – a figure comparable to the population of a small German town.
How the testing works
The study is being conducted by the university hospitals of LMU and TUM with support from the German Center for Infection Research. The free test can be taken at three clinics: the LMU Großhadern campus (Marchioninistraße 15), the LMU Innenstadt campus (Ziemssenstraße 5), and the TUM clinic (Trogerstraße 30).
The study consists of several stages:
- a questionnaire on past illnesses and medications taken – takes around 30 minutes;
- a blood draw;
- a stool sample collected at home and subsequently sent to the laboratory.
“If the blood test comes back negative, the study participant receives the result by post and no further examinations are required,” explained study coordinator Ulrich Lang. “If the result is positive, the participant carries out a further test at home. If that second result is also positive, a gastroscopy is scheduled – although the final decision depends not only on the fact of infection but also on risk factors such as heredity and the patient’s age.”
Particular attention in the study is being paid to the bacterium’s resistance to antibiotics. According to Lang, cases of resistance are becoming increasingly common, so the test also checks which drugs remain effective against the specific strain found in an infected patient. This is especially important given the ongoing trend towards antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
One participant’s personal experience
Among the 7,500 participants in the study is Adi Cohen Häusler, a 46-year-old occupational therapist from Munich. Her mother had suffered for years from severe stomach problems – cramps and bloating – which prompted the daughter to check whether she herself was infected.
She had no symptoms, but the test came back positive: the bacterium was found in her stomach. She required a gastroscopy at the Großhadern campus. “Everything went completely smoothly and painlessly, I didn’t have to worry about anything,” she told journalists. Following the examination, doctors selected the most effective medication for her.
Why the danger is easy to miss
This case clearly illustrates the central problem: the bacterium can be carried for years without any symptoms at all. Chronic inflammation of the digestive tract develops unnoticed over a long period, giving no indication of its presence.
Heartburn, pressure in the stomach, nausea or stabbing pain usually appear only once an ulcer has already formed. Treatment always consists of a combination of several antibiotics together with a drug that suppresses acid production. The course of treatment typically lasts 10-14 days. After successful therapy, the risk of reinfection among adults in Germany is low, though it cannot be ruled out entirely.
Professor Schulz specifically emphasised: “Concerns about the harm of pantoprazole-based medication are unfounded. Such a drug, on the contrary, helps heal the damaged stomach lining.” The real danger, he said, lies not in the medication but in an undetected Helicobacter pylori infection.
Where to get tested
Registration for the study is available at helicobacter-testen.de, as well as directly through the study centres:
- Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM): helicobacterstudie.med@tum.de, tel. 089/41 40-41 49 or 0152/25 86 71 09;
- LMU Hospital, Innenstadt and Großhadern campuses: helicobacter@med.uni-muenchen.de, tel. 089/44 00-772 85 or 0152/54 57 15 45.
To date, 7,500 people have already taken part in the study. Doctors emphasise: “The test makes it possible to detect the infection before the first symptoms appear – precisely the stage at which treatment is most effective at preventing the development of an ulcer or stomach cancer.”
Why this matters
Stomach cancer is rarely diagnosed at an early stage because the bacterium described above acts without symptoms. A simple, free test has fundamentally changed this situation. It allows the infection to be detected before the bacterium has time to cause irreversible harm to its carrier, so that treatment can be arranged in time. For residents of Munich and Bavaria, taking part in the study is a rare opportunity to undergo a full diagnostic check at no cost and to rule out, for the future, a problem that can otherwise go unnoticed for years.
