Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 11, 1994 TAG: 9402110184
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Researchers on Thursday praised the panel's decision and said the latest developments will have a strong impact on treatment of common stomach ulcers.
"It's truly revolutionized therapy. Once the government's stepped in, it's going to result in a significant cost savings," said Dr. David A. Peura, acting chief of gastroenterology at the UVa Health Sciences Center.
UVa researchers for years have examined a bacterium they said was the underlying cause of peptic ulcers. After a hearing, a panel of medical experts convened by the National Institutes of Health declared Wednesday that the bacterium does cause ulcers.
The panel said the bacterium, known as H. pylori, causes most peptic ulcers and urged doctors to use antibiotics to treat patients. Peptic ulcers affect at least 4 million Americans and are more prevalent in less-developed countries.
Peptic ulcers are painful irritations to the stomach or small intestine that can linger for years. Traditionally, doctors believed ulcers developed because of excess stomach acid, stress, diet and heredity.
Treatment focused on curbing acid production.
The controversy within the medical community over the cause was so great that a UVa doctor once ingested the suspected bacterium to prove it led to peptic ulcers. Dr. Barry Marshall later recovered.
Dr. Alvin M. Zfass, director of endoscopy at the Medical College of Virginia, freely admits he was among the doctors who doubted Marshall in the early years of his research.
"Everyone thought he was crazy, including myself, but, yes, he feels vindicated," Zfass said. "I think he's ecstatic."
Zfass spoke to Marshall on Wednesday. Marshall is in Italy.
Zfass said Marshall's ideas were not introduced to medical students until a few years ago.
"To get away from the acid idea and to get into the infection idea was anathema to the way doctors had been taught," he said.
Susie Hoffman, a research nurse who worked with Marshall at the Health Sciences Center, was at the National Institutes of Health when the medical panel made the announcement.
"It's been a long time coming," said Hoffman. "I feel like we're finally getting somewhere. We've been in every publication and I feel like this will be a good way to get the information to the medical community."
Researchers, including Marshall, now are developing a breath test that would identify people at risk of getting peptic ulcers. Zfass said it should be relatively inexpensive.
by CNB