You examine a patient who is complaining of belching (burping), bloating, and some vomiting. She also has some abdominal discomfort which she describes as a dull, burning pain that is worse when she is hungry and is often relieved when she takes antacids. You suspect that she may have Helicobacter pylori gastritis, and send her for a urea breath test. The breath test is positive; based on this, you get the patient's stool tested for blood, and you send her for an endoscopy, during which a biopsy is taken. Your diagnosis is confirmed by the results of these tests and that she does indeed have H. pylori.
-The blood in your patient's stool suggests an ulcer. The endoscopy confirms this. You discuss with the patient how H. pylori can cause ulcers. After H. pylori enters your body, it can cause damage to cells in the lining of the stomach, some of which usually produce a protective mucus layer. Once the bacteria have done enough damage, the mucus layer thins and stomach acid can get through the lining, leading to ulcers. You prescribe an antacid medication
A) to kill the H. pylori which can only live in acidic conditions.
B) to reduce the acidity of the stomach, thereby allowing the lining to heal.
C) to prevent the H. pylori from making CO₂ which is causing the patient's burping.
D) to stimulate the patient's stomach E. coli population so it out-competes the pathogen.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question

You examine a patient who is complaining of belching (burping), bloating, and some vomiting. She also has some abdominal discomfort which she describes as a dull, burning pain that is worse when she is hungry and is often relieved when she takes antacids. You suspect that she may have Helicobacter pylori gastritis, and send her for a urea breath test. The breath test is positive; based on this, you get the patient's stool tested for blood, and you send her for an endoscopy, during which a biopsy is taken. Your diagnosis is confirmed by the results of these tests and that she does indeed have H. pylori.
-The blood in your patient's stool suggests an ulcer. The endoscopy confirms this. You discuss with the patient how H. pylori can cause ulcers. After H. pylori enters your body, it can cause damage to cells in the lining of the stomach, some of which usually produce a protective mucus layer. Once the bacteria have done enough damage, the mucus layer thins and stomach acid can get through the lining, leading to ulcers. You prescribe an antacid medication
A) to kill the H. pylori which can only live in acidic conditions.
B) to reduce the acidity of the stomach, thereby allowing the lining to heal.
C) to prevent the H. pylori from making CO₂ which is causing the patient's burping.
D) to stimulate the patient's stomach E. coli population so it out-competes the pathogen.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The antacid medication is prescribed to reduce the acidity of the stomach, thereby allowing the lining to heal. This will help to alleviate the patient's symptoms and prevent further damage to the stomach lining caused by stomach acid. While killing H. pylori is also important in the treatment of gastritis and ulcers, this is typically done with antibiotic medication rather than antacids. Antacids do not affect the production of CO₂ or the population of E. coli in the patient's stomach. Therefore, options A, C, and D are not correct.

You Examine a Patient Who Is Complaining of Belching (Burping)