Q: I am a 34year old healthy male. I suffered from H. pylori infection and inflammation in upper abdoman/stomach two months ago. I took H. pylori Kit medicine for ten days but still suffer from gas in stomach. I am unable to burp at times and it feels as if the gas has spread into my chest and I get pain in the chest. The ECG was normal. For the last 10 days there is a slight swelling on my hand and face under the eye. The appetite is normal as was the LFT report except a raised SGPT (134ul/l). I am now out of station for a training. My BP also remains high (140/96) and someone told me that I am suffering from liver disease.

A:There are a few medical issues that need to be sorted out in your case. These include: i) H. pylori associated dyspepsia ii) raised SGPT iii) high blood pressure and iv) overweight. I will answer these below. In patients with confirmed H. pylori infection, 10 days course of treatment as you have taken is adequate. However symptoms of gaseousness and bloating may persist for longer period, and you need to take a maintenence treatment with acid suppressants and prokinetic drugs (your doctor can prescribe these). I am more concerned about your raised SGPT and this needs to be investigated further. As you are overweight, there is a possibility of fatty liver disease in your case. Do you consume alcohol? Have you had jaundice anytime in past? Common causes of raised SGPT in your setting would include fatty liver disease, alcohol, viral hepatitis, drugs, etc. For this you need to have some blood tests and ultrasound of upper abdomen. If your BP is persistently high, then it should be treated with medicines. Also you should lose weight.