In this study, we investigate simple breath test for detection of
Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection using
13C-urea. Thirty-nine patients (30 were HP positive, 9 were HP negative) were given three different doses (50, 100 and 150mg) of
13C-urea at fasting, and keep siting after mouth washing with water. Breath samples were taken before and 10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after urea administration. More than 100mg of
13C-urea was necessary for correct diagnosis of HP infection, because 2 HP positive cases were not detected by 50mg
13C-urea administration. In cases with patchy distribution of HP in the stomach, it may be necessary to change the posture to distribute urea within the whole stomach. In most of HP positive cases, peak δ
13CO
2 were obtained within 30 minutes, but one HP negative case showed high δ
13CO
2 at 10 minutes, which was probably caused by urease activity in the mouth. So it is appropriate to take breath sample at 20 minutes after urea administration. In this study, cut-off value for a positive test can be setted between 4 to 7 δ‰, it is necessary to investigate much more cases to set exact cut-off value.
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