Urea breath tests in the management of Helicobacter pylori infection
R P H Logan
Division of
Gastroenterology, Queens Medical Centre, University
Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
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Summary |
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The 13/14C-Urea breath test (UBT) is based on the simple principle that a solution of isotopically labelled urea will be rapidly hydrolysed by the abundantly expressed urease of H pylori. The released 13/14CO2 is absorbed across the mucus layer to the gastric mucosa and hence, via the systemic circulation, excreted in the expired breath. Distribution of urea throughout the stomach prevents sampling error and allows semiquantitative assessments of the extent of H pylori infection.
Originally the 13C-UBT was complex, cumbersome and costly
but, by simplifying the protocol and reducing the number of samples to
be analysed, is now a much easier, quicker and cheaper test for
detecting H pylori. Although mass spectrometry is needed
for analysis of exhaled 13CO2, the use of the
stable isotope, which is completely safe, provides advantages over the
14C-UBT using radioactive 14C-urea, such that
it can be used in women and children
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