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Breath test for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori.
The 14C-urea breath test is an analysis to detect Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This non-invasive test is based on the ability of H. pylori to produce the enzyme urease.
In the stomach, urease breaks down urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide, which contains a marker. The carbon dioxide enters the bloodstream and is exhaled through the lungs, increasing the carbon content in the exhaled air.
Test principle: During the test, the patient takes a capsule (harmless to health, containing carbon 14C). 14C is a stable natural isotope of carbon present in the human body, accounting for about 1% of the total number of cells.
Expand all text If H.pylori bacteria are present in the stomach, urea is hydrolyzed by the urease produced by these bacteria, forming carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide containing the 14C label is absorbed into the bloodstream and exhaled. After taking the capsule, patients infected with H.pylori show maximum 14CO2 in their breath between 10 and 30 minutes. If the patient is not infected with H.pylori, the labeled urea is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and distributed in the extracellular and intracellular fluids. Within 3 days, about 88% of the urea is excreted from the body in the urine. In 2005, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Barry Marshall and Robin Warren “for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.”
Preparation for the breath test:
- Stop taking antibiotics and medications that alter stomach secretion (omeprazole, ranitidine, esomeprazole, etc.) 2 weeks before the procedure.
- Avoid any alcoholic beverages 3 days before the test.
- The last meal should be 6-14 hours before the procedure.
- Have a light, easily digestible dinner.
- On the day of the test, brush your teeth without using mouthwash.
- Avoid smoking and chewing gum.
The procedure is performed on an empty stomach, from 08:00-12:00. You can drink a little water an hour before the test.
!!! We do not enroll patients under 16 years of age, breastfeeding women, or pregnant women for this test !!!
Advantages of the Helicobacter pylori breath test:
- Accuracy: Sensitivity is 95-98%, specificity is 95-100%.
- Convenience: A non-invasive procedure that does not require an endoscope and is well tolerated by patients. The test can be repeated as many times as needed without limitations.
- Informative: Test results reflect the activity of the microbe on the entire surface of the stomach, not just on specific parts (reduces the risk of false-negative results). Allows for quantitative assessment of the microbe over time.
- Safety: The method uses negligibly small doses of isotopes, thus exempt from regulatory restrictions in the USA and China. Simplicity: A simple procedure that does not require special handling.
- Speed: The entire test takes 30-60 minutes.
Helicobacter pylori is a factor in diseases such as:
- chronic gastritis
- peptic ulcer
- gastric lymphoma
- gastric carcinoma
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the main cause of gastritis and peptic ulcers, and is also considered a cause of stomach cancer in some patients. It is proven that this bacterium infects more than 50% of the world’s population, with the rate reaching 80% in developing countries.
When to take the Helicobacter pylori test:
- Feeling of heaviness, discomfort, or pain in the stomach that is aching, stabbing, pressing, or cramping during or after eating
- Frequent belching
- Heartburn Loss of appetite
- Bad breath
- Nausea or vomiting after eating
- Gastritis, gastroduodenitis, peptic ulcer, or other digestive system diseases
- Unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency
- Patients with a family history of stomach cancer
- Family members diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori
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