Diseases & Conditions
Testing for the 'ulcer bug' makes daily aspirin safer
Being tested for the bacteria that cause many ulcers and having the infection quashed with antibiotics can prevent ulcers in many people who take daily aspirin for heart protection, suggests a study in Gastroenterology.
Daily low-dose aspirin can prevent a heart attack, but it may also put you at risk for peptic ulcers—sores in the stomach and upper intestine. Two factors that predispose aspirin users to this kind of trouble are a history of ulcers and infection with Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes most peptic ulcers.
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