Helicobacter pylori colonization in children with peptic ulcer disease III. Diagnostic value of the ¹³C‐urea breath test to detect gastric H. pylori colonization

Abstract

The efficiency of the 13C‐Urea Breath Test (13C‐UBT) for the detection of Helicobacter pylori colonization in gastric mucosa was evaluated. The 13C‐UBT was performed in five pediatric and six adult subjects who had had upper gastrointestinal endoscopy within 2 weeks. H. pylori colonization was confirmed in two pediatric and three adult subjects with peptic ulcer combined with antral gastritis, by histological examination of antral biopsy specimens. When an individual with H. pylori colonization ingested a solution containing 13C‐urea, a significant amount of 13CO2 appeared in the respiratory CO2 within 10 min. The mean cumulative percentage dose of 13C recovered in the breath over 30 min in the cases with H. pylori colonization was significantly higher than that in those who were not colonized (4.91 vs 0.41, P <0.001). In addition, the effect of antibiotic on the eradication of H. pylori from gastric mucosa was monitored by 13C‐UBT in two cases. The values of cumulative percentage dose of 13C over 30 min fell to the same levels as those observed in H. pylori negative subjects after just 2 weeks treatment with amoxicillin; however, positive results were obtained again 1 month after the withdrawal of amoxicillin. In summary, 13C‐UBT is a simple, reliable, non‐invasive method in the diagnosis of gastric H. pylori colonization especially for pediatric patients.

Review article: 13C‐urea breath test in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection – a critical review

“…The 13 C‐UBT is ideally suited for the determination of H. pylori status in children, although until very recently there was a paucity of adequate data to validate its routine use. However, several recent studies have confirmed that the UBT has in children the same accuracy as in adults 18–42 . In the other extreme of life, some studies have confirmed, in conditions of real clinical practice that the UBT is also a reliable test of H. pylori diagnosis in elderly patients 43 …”

Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with idiopathic short stature

“…There have been rapid advances in research on Helicobacter pylori infections since this organism was first successfully isolated and cultured by Warren and Marshall in 1983 1 . The organism, H. pylori , has been shown to play a role in many gastrointestinal disorders, including chronic atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric carcinoma 2−7 . Other studies have also suggested an association between H. pylori infection and other conditions such as ischemic heart disease and chronic urticaria 8,9 …”

13C Urea Breath Testing to Diagnose Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children

“…Most studies that have used the 13 C UBT in children have been published since 1997. These studies have evaluated the prevalence of H pylori infection in different pediatric populations (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) and spontaneous clearance of infection in preschoolers (7,15,16), as well as the success of eradication after treatment (4,(17)(18)(19).…”