Mr. Ren, 45 years old, has been experiencing pain and discomfort in his upper abdomen recently. After taking gastrointestinal medicine, 2-3 hours later, the symptoms of gastric discomfort still did not improve . Instead, he developed symptoms of nausea and vomiting . He urgently went to the hospital for medical treatment.
The doctor tested Mr. Ren for Helicobacter pylori. After C-14 exhalation, the result was positive. After performing a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy, he found that Mr. Ren had a very serious gastric ulcer, and told him that the symptoms may be 's acute gastric ulcer caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori. recommended the immediate use of "quadruple drugs" to eradicate Helicobacter pylori and treat acute gastric ulcers by repairing the gastric mucosa.
Among them, the quadruple drug includes metronidazole , but Mr. Ren is very confused: Isn’t metronidazole used to treat toothache? Why is it still used to treat Helicobacter pylori?
1. Metronidazole can obviously cure toothache, but why does it have a therapeutic effect on Helicobacter pylori?
Metronidazole, a antibiotic belonging to the nitroimidazole class, is commonly used to treat various conditions caused by anaerobic bacterial infections or trichomoniasis infections.
and anaerobic bacteria what is it? It is a bacterium or microorganism that can only grow in an anaerobic environment, and metronidazole has a good antibacterial effect on most anaerobic bacteria.
We need to know that Helicobacter pylori is also an anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium. It is currently the only bacteria that can survive in the highly acidic environment of the stomach. According to research by the World Health Organization, Helicobacter pylori is related to many common gastric diseases in the human body, such as chronic esophagitis, atrophic gastritis, non-atrophic gastritis, etc., and there are many direct evidences of Helicobacter pylori that will cause cancer risks to the human body, so it is classified as a Level 1 carcinogen.
What is even more frightening is that Helicobacter pylori does not have any special symptoms at first when it is infected. It may only show mild stomach pain or gastric bloating. When Helicobacter pylori replicates in the stomach in large quantities, it will cause inflammation of the gastric mucosa, and even cause lesions.
Therefore, at present, in the Department of Gastroenterology, , during gastroscopy and colonoscopy, patients will also be asked to undergo Helicobacter pylori examination to confirm whether they have Helicobacter pylori infection, so as to facilitate the next step of diagnosis and treatment and formulation of treatment plans.
When patients develop Helicobacter pylori infection, doctors usually prescribe quadruple drugs for treatment, including two antibiotics such as metronidazole, amoxicillin , omeprazole enteric-coated capsules, colloidal pectin bismuth and other drugs.
Among them, metronidazole has the effect of inhibiting the growth and reproduction of Helicobacter pylori and this type of anaerobic bacteria. plus the joint bactericidal effect of amoxicillin, and combined with omeprazole enteric-coated capsules, can be used to inhibit the excessive secretion of gastric acid , which has the effect of protecting the gastric mucosa. can effectively repair the gastric mucosa, and achieves the purpose of treatment.
2. Can metronidazole cure these three common diseases?
Metronidazole actually not only has significant antibacterial effects on anaerobic bacteria, but also has a significant effect on treating trichomonas infections, so it is also called metronidazole. Metronidazole can also be used to treat diseases, which are summarized as follows:
. Periodontal inflammation
Research has confirmed that 85% of patients with periodontitis have inflammatory symptoms caused by periodontal infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis.
and Porphyromonas gingivalis is an anaerobic Gram-negative coccobacillus . This bacterium often grows and adheres to the periodontal surface, and even cooperates with other bacterial species, such as Staphylococcus aureus , Lactobacillus , , to form plaque biofilm on the periodontal surface, causing long-term periodontal inflammation.
What's even more frightening is that has a thick protective layer and adhesiveness due to plaque biofilm. Therefore, cannot be removed through daily mouthwash and brushing , and when the plaque biofilm continues to accumulate on the periodontal , when it becomes thicker or the area expands, plaque biofilm will combine with minerals (such as calcium) in saliva to form dental calculus , thus causing more serious diseases, such as gum bleeding, gum recession, etc.
At this time, it must be removed by a dentist, using teeth cleaning, or dental calculus removal surgery, otherwise it will cause more serious symptoms.
In addition, because of Porphyromonas, will continue to produce a variety of virulence factors on the periodontal. In addition to causing the above symptoms, may also pass through the blood circulation , reach the brain tissue, and promote brain function. The cells in the brain, , produce a toxin enzyme called gingipain. This poisonous enzyme, , will quickly destroy the tissue structure of the brain, causing brain cell death. Many experimental studies have even confirmed that this poisonous enzyme has a very important connection with the development of Alzheimer's disease in the human body.
Therefore, Porphyromonas gingivalis not only causes periodontal inflammation, but may also cause serious brain diseases. Therefore, in the current treatment of periodontitis, the main treatment method is to eradicate anaerobic bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis to achieve the purpose of treatment.
and metronidazole can interfere with the normal DNA synthesis of Porphyromonas gingivalis, causing serious obstacles to the metabolic function of bacterial DNA and causing natural bacterial apoptosis. When a large number of bacteria undergo apoptosis on the periodontal periodontal inflammation, the periodontal inflammation can be improved smoothly. Therefore, metronidazole is often used to kill Porphyromonas gingivalis and then treat periodontitis.
. Skin acne
Acne is a common disease in dermatology. The cause of skin acne in 80% of patients, is caused by infection with Propionibacterium acnes , which is a gram anaerobic bacterium that often parasitizes our skin hair follicles and sebaceous glands.
When the skin suffers from long-term endocrine disorders and consumes too much oil-based diet, the surface of the skin will produce too much oil, and these oils may cause the pores on the surface of the skin to become clogged, causing the skin to be unable to obtain enough oxygen from the air.
Propionibacterium acnes likes to grow in a hypoxic environment, so it is more conducive to the growth of Propionibacterium acnes, causing inflammation of hair follicles and skin glands in the skin, thereby blocking skin pores, causing skin redness and swelling, and forming red and swollen papules -like inflamed bumps on the skin surface, which is skin acne.
and Metronidazole can be used to inhibit the activity of Propionibacterium acnes in the skin , by changing the normal production rate of Propionibacterium acnes DNA, causing its apoptosis, reducing the number of Propionibacterium acnes on the skin, thereby improving the symptoms of skin acne.
. Trichomonas vaginitis
Among gynecological diseases, Trichomonas vaginitis is a common infectious disease. is a related disease caused by Trichomonas vaginalis infection.
When a patient is vaginally infected with Trichomonas , there is a 45-50% rate of having no symptoms at first . After Trichomonas vaginalis multiplies in the vagina, will appear yellow-green, with a large amount of foamy and even produce a large amount of foul-smelling secretions.
At this time, the patient's vagina has been infected by a large number of Trichomonas vaginalis, and Trichomonas vaginalis will engulf the vaginal epithelial cells glycogen , hindering the production of lactic acid, causing the vaginal pH to rise, destroying the original bacterial balance in the vagina, leading to other pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, mold, etc. , and because the vaginal environment is destroyed, these pathogens will continue to reproduce and grow in the vagina, leading to symptoms such as acute vaginal inflammation.
What is even more frightening is that Trichomonas vaginalis not only parasitizes the vagina, but also often invades the urethra or paraurethral glands , causing inflammation of the urethra. When patients urinate, they will experience symptoms of redness, swelling, heat and pain in the urethral orifice, frequent urination, hematuria. Therefore, patients with Trichomonas vaginalis, in addition to a large amount of secretion, may also cause urinary system diseases.
Because Trichomonas vaginalis can be transmitted through daily living habits and sexual life, such as sharing towels, toothbrushes, etc. with a partner, or even through sexual intercourse , therefore, when one spouse has a Trichomonas infection, it is recommended to treat it together.
And metronidazole can inhibit the DNA activity of Trichomonas vaginalis, causing the chromosome structure in the body to be slowly destroyed, causing Trichomonas vaginalis to gradually undergo apoptosis. prevents it from replicating a large amount of in the body, thus improving the inflammatory response in the vagina, allowing the symptoms to slowly recover and improve. Therefore, metronidazole is often used for gynecological diseases.
3. When using metronidazole, two situations occur. It is recommended to stop the medication first!
Metronidazole, after the above introduction, everyone knows that it has significant effects on periodontal inflammation, skin acne, and trichomonas vaginalis. Because of its significant efficacy and low price, it is a highly used drug. And these patients will have some side effects and adverse reactions after using metronidazole. These reactions are summarized as follows ：
. Transaminase increases
Because the main metabolism pathway of metronidazole in the human body is through liver metabolism, When patients with poor liver function, they may experience an increase in transaminase after using metronidazole.
Therefore, for patients with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C , or even other severe liver diseases people, it is not recommended to buy metronidazole at pharmacies or online for use. Be sure to go to the hospital to check liver function first, and then pass the doctor's evaluation to confirm whether metronidazole can be used to treat the symptoms.
. Nausea and vomiting
Metronidazole, because it is an antibiotic for anaerobic bacteria, the chemical structure of this drug will cause problems in the central nervous system of the body.
Because the vomiting center in the human body is located in the medulla oblongata of the brainstem , the use of metronidazole may affect the functioning of the central nervous system, leading to disorders in the function of the medulla oblongata , causing abnormalities in the vomiting center, causing the patient to have symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
but not . Generally, the nausea and vomiting will gradually ease after the patient stops using it. Therefore, patients do not need to worry too much. If symptoms of nausea and vomiting occur after use, please stop taking the drug immediately and seek medical attention immediately.
4. Don’t use metronidazole indiscriminately! Be sure to pay attention to the following 2 points!
Although metronidazole is widely used in clinical practice and everyone is quite familiar with it, there are still relevant precautions and contraindications that require special attention when using metronidazole:
. Pregnant women are prohibited from using metronidazole. Nidazole
Pregnant women cannot use metronidazole to treat symptoms during pregnancy, because multiple experiments have confirmed that when pregnant women take metronidazole during pregnancy , the risk of teratogenesis will be significantly increased.
Even, lactating women should not use metronidazole, because if a lactating mother uses metronidazole to treat diseases during a period of strong lactation, metronidazole may be transported to the mother's breasts through blood circulation, so that the milk secreted by the breasts contains metronidazole.
When a mother feeds her child, metronidazole will enter the fetus' body along with the milk, causing problems with the fetus's brain development. Therefore, pregnant and lactating women are prohibited from using metronidazole to treat symptoms.
. Do not drink alcohol when using metronidazole.
When alcohol enters the human body for metabolism, the alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver will convert alcohol into acetaldehyde , and then through the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver, acetaldehyde will be converted into acetic acid, and finally acetic acid will be converted into carbonic acid and water, and finally eliminated from the body through urine.
and disulfiram itself is an alcohol withdrawal drug. When a patient drinks disulfiram, will inhibit the metabolic function of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver , so that acetaldehyde in the patient's body cannot be converted into acetic acid. , A large amount of acetaldehyde will accumulate in the liver, patients are prone to symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Clinically, this pharmacological effect is used to make patients afraid of drinking alcohol , thereby achieving the effect of quitting alcohol. This effect is called the disulfiram reaction.
In clinical practice, many therapeutic drugs have a similar chemical structure to alcohol withdrawal drugs such as disulfiram. Therefore, they also have the effect of inhibiting acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. When taken, they may cause patients to experience the same symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
Metronidazole belongs to this kind of drug. When metronidazole is taken and alcohol enters the human body at the same time, a disulfiram reaction will occur. Therefore, when taking metronidazole, must not take it together with alcohol. Otherwise, a very serious disulfiram reaction will occur, which will affect life safety, and it will be very costly.
Conclusion
I hope that through the contents of this article, everyone can truly understand metronidazole. With more information, they can master more correct usage methods when using this drug to achieve the highest safety of the drug. This is the highest expectation of writing this article. If you have any questions about the content of this article and want to know more, you are welcome to leave a message or consultation below to discuss it in depth.
