Specificity Of Urea Breath Test Research Articles

Importance of Delta Over Baseline Values in Predicting the Severity of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children

Introduction:Although severe forms of the disease are seen in adults, the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is usually acquired during childhood. Therefore, prompt diagnosis of H. pylori infection in childhood is of prime importance. In the present study, we aimed to identify the sensitivity and specificity of 13C urea breath test (UBT) in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection and to assess the severity of the disease with delta over baseline (DOB) values. Materials and Methods: UBT was administered to 200 children who presented with epigastric pain and/or nausea. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed in patients. UBT results were compared with histopathological findings. In the Area Under the ROC Curve analysis, a cutoff DOB value was found for the severity of H. pylori infection. Results: 193 children with a mean age of 13.50±2.98 years were included in the analysis. Of these, 71 (36.8%) patients had a positive UBT and 122 (63.2%) had a negative UBT. EGD was performed in 60 out of 71 patients with positive UBT and in 30 out of 122 patients with negative UBT. The sensitivity and specificity of UBT were 85.1% and 100%. DOB was found to be a significant predictor of moderate/marked H. pylori density at a cutoff value of 6%. Conclusions: The positive correlation detected between the level of DOB values and the density of H. pylori and inflammatory activity can be an advantage for detecting the severity of disease

Value of the <sup>13</sup>C-Urea Breath Test for Detection of Gastric <i>Helicobacter</i> spp. Infection in Dogs Undergoing Endoscopic Examination

Urea breath test (UBT) using an infrared spectral analyzer is widely used for non-invasive and rapid detection of gastric Helicobacter spp. in human, but not veterinary medicine. The main purposes of this study were to determine the reference range of the UBT in dogs and to evaluate its clinical usefulness. To address the first aim, 6 healthy laboratory beagles were subjected to UBT and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Gastric endoscopic biopsy samples from the antrum, corpus and fundus were examined for Helicobacter spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, rapid urease test (RUT), histology and cytology. Amoxicillin, metronidazole and omeprazole were given to infected dogs for 14 days, and dogs that became Helicobacter-negative were used to determine the reference range for UBT. To address the second aim, 32 canine patients underwent UBT before upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and the sensitivity and specificity of UBT were calculated based on our newly determined reference range using PCR as the gold standard for detection of Helicobacter spp. Initially, all 6 laboratory beagles were infected in all gastric regions and became uninfected after eradication. The mean ± 2 SD UBT value after eradication was 0.6 ± 1.8‰, and the reference range for UBT was determined to be less than 2.5‰. UBT was completed successfully in 27 patients. Using our reference range, UBT displayed 89% (16/18) sensitivity and 89% (8/9) specificity, indicating that UBT was quite useful for the detection of gastric Helicobacter spp. infection in dogs.

Cost-effectiveness of alternative approaches in the management of dyspepsia.

To assess the cost-effectiveness of alternative initial strategies in the management of uninvestigated dyspepsia in adult patients presenting to a primary care physician in Canada. Clinical decision-making was modeled based on outcomes data from the literature and expert opinion. Costs were obtained from official reimbursement lists, and a detailed microcosting analysis of a gastroscopy. Costs were analysed over a one-year period after initial presentation, including consideration of a single relapse of symptoms. The main outcome was a symptomatic cure. The seven management strategies based on different initial tests were endoscopy, double-contrast barium meal, empirical eradication therapy, empirical antisecretory treatment, urea breath test (UBT), laboratory serology, and sequential testing (laboratory serology followed, if Helicobacter pylori positive, by UBT). In patients under age 45, endoscopy, double-contrast barium meal, and sequential testing were not cost-effective approaches. UBT was the most effective and most costly strategy costing 8,238 dollars per additional patient cure compared with laboratory serology. In patients over age 45, UBT was again the most effective and most costly strategy, but endoscopy was the most reliable in detecting gastric cancers. Clinical variables that impacted these findings were the probability of symptomatic relapse in patients with nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD) after successful versus failed H. pylori eradication, the probability of finding a duodenal ulcer (DU) in a young dyspeptic patient, the specificity of UBT, and the prevalence of H. pylori in patients with DU. A "test-and-treat" approach was favored, with UBT being the most effective but most costly initial test in adult dyspeptics under age 45. The choice of the most cost-effective approach is dependent on the benefits of H. pylori eradication in patients with NUD. In patients over age 45, UBT is the most effective and most costly, but endoscopy results in the early detection of most gastric cancers.

Accuracy of the 14C-urea breath test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori.

The development of simple, accurate and low-expense techniques for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection has great relevance. To determine the accuracy of a rapid 14C-urea breath test (UBT) employing a very simple device for breathed air collection. Prospective study. Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto. One hundred and thirty-seven adult patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the Clinical Hospital. Histology for Helicobacter pylori (HP); urease test; urea breath test (UBT). One hundred and fifteen patients were infected by HP (HP+) according to both histology and the urease test, and 22 patients were HP-negative (HP-), according to the same two tests. UBT was capable of discriminating between HP+ and HP- in a way that was similar to the combination of urease test and histology. When this combination of results is taken as the "gold standard" for HP infection, the sensitivity and specificity of UBT are both greater than 90% for a range of cut-off points and breathed air collection times. The rapid UBT employing a simple device for air collection has a high accuracy in determining HP infection.

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori after triple therapy in uncomplicated duodenal ulcers—a cost‐effectiveness analysis

The cost-effectiveness of determining Helicobacter pylori status after treatment remains to be established. To determine the benefit of post-treatment assessment of H. pylori eradication in patients with uncomplicated duodenal ulcer. A decision analysis was performed in patients with uncomplicated duodenal ulcer who were H. pylori-positive and had received eradication therapy. A decision tree was devised to compare the costs per patient of two different strategies: (a) systematic performance of post-treatment urea breath test and new treatment if positive; and (b) clinical follow-up, 13C-urea breath test if dyspeptic symptoms recurred and eradication treatment if the test was positive. Post-eradication 13C-urea breath test was notably more expensive than clinical follow-up, both in a low-cost per care setting (197 vs. 132 Euros) and in a high-cost per care (614 vs. 340 US $) scenario. This conclusion remained stable for a wide range of variations of the variables included in the decision tree (e.g. cure rates of eradication treatment, cost of the urea breath test or sensitivity, and specificity of urea breath test to detect eradication). In patients with uncomplicated duodenal ulcer, evaluation of eradication after H. pylori treatment markedly increases costs with no clear improvement in results and therefore should not be performed routinely.