Abstract

ORTIZ-OLVERA NAYELI, N. X. et al. Validation of a simplified method of the ¹³C urea breath test for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori. Rev. esp. enferm. dig. [online]. 2007, vol.99, n.7, pp.392-397. ISSN 1130-0108.

Objective: to validate a simplified ¹³C-urea breath test (13C-UBT) method for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Material and methods: patients referred for gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy were included, and a ¹³C-UBT was performed after a 6-hour fast. Breath samples were collected in 10 ml glass tubes before and 30 min after the simultaneous administration of 50 mg of ¹³C-urea and 2 g of citric acid in 200 ml of water. All breath samples were analyzed using isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The diagnosis of H. pylori infection was established with a positive culture and/or positive histology and serology. Results: eighty-eight patients were included, 49 female and 39 male with a mean age of 45 ± 15 yrs. Fifty-one patients (57.95%) were positive and 30 (34.1%) negative for H. pylori. Seven cases (7.95%) were considered undetermined. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for ¹³C-UBT were 90.2, 93.3, 95.83, and 84.8%, respectively. Accuracy was 91.4%. Conclusions: the simultaneous administration of 50 mg of ¹³C-urea and 2 g of citric acid represents an alternative for the non-invasive diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

Keywords : Helicobacter pylori; ¹³C-urea; Breath test; Citric acid.

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