2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 47-51
【Background】Since Helicobacter pylori (HP) is a major cause of gastric cancer, it is important to accurately identify HP infection. With regard to HP serum antibody titers, the Latex method is more often used than the ELISA method for HP serum antibody titer determination due to its simplicity. On the other hand, false positive Latex test results are considered to be common. We report on our experience with HP serum antibody titers at our hospital.
【Method and Subjects】We enrolled patients who visited our health medical center and underwent endoscopy during the same period in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 and FY 2020, and measured their HP serum antibody titers by both the ELISA and Latex methods.
【Results】（1）When the results were ELISA negative and Latex positive, there was a significant difference in being female and having gastric mucosal atrophy.（2）When the results in HP-uninfected women were ELISA negative and Latex positive, significant differences were observed.（3）Among the past-HP infection cases that were Latex positive, female and younger patients were predominant.
【Conclusions】Female gender was an important factor influencing the occurrence of false positive results in the Latex test.
