Description
What's H.pylori?Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria. These germs can enter your body and live in your digestive tract. After many years, they can cause sores, called ulcers, in the lining of your stomach or the upper part of your small intestine. For some people, an infection can lead to stomach cancer.
Infection with
H. pylori is common. About two-thirds of the world's population has it in their bodies. Many people get
H. pylori during childhood, but adults can get it, too.
The safest and fastest way to detect H.pylori?The urea breath test is a rapid diagnostic procedure used to identifyinfections by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral bacterium implicated in gastritis, gastric ulcer, and peptic ulcer disease. It is based upon the ability of H. pylorito convert urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide. Urea breath tests arerecommended in leading society guidelines as a preferred non-invasivechoice for detecting H. pylori before and after treatment.
why we use 13c urea breath test instead of 14c urea breath?13C is a non-radioactive isotope that can be used safely for repeated testing, which is frequently required in clinical practice, and for detecting H pylori infection in children and women of childbearing age. Furthermore, 13C-urea has been the most widely used substrate in methodological studies performed to validate this kind of diagnostic test. Another relevant advantage of using the stable isotope is that breath samples can be sent by post or courier to remote analysis centres, thus promoting the distribution of the test, which can even be performed at home if the patients are adequately selected and instructed.
Complaint
