In order to meet the needs of patients, the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University has recently launched a new test, the carbon 13 urea breath test, which is a non-invasive clinical test commonly used in vitro for the detection of Helicobacter pylori (HP). This method has a high specificity (89%-100%) and is currently recognized as a good means of evaluating H. pylori infection and the effectiveness of drug eradication, and can be used as a diagnostic “gold standard” second only to bacterial culture.
The necessity of testing for H. pylori (HP).
In 1994, the World Health Organization classified HP infection as the first type of high-risk malignant factor, and the risk of developing gastric cancer is four times higher in infected people than in non-infected people, so HP detection is considered a kind of “tumor screening”, and HP eradication can reduce the occurrence of gastric cancer.
HP has a high infection rate in our population, and its infection rate is roughly parallel to the incidence of chronic gastritis. It survives in the stomach and duodenal bulb of patients and is highly infectious.
3, HP infection is also associated with coronary heart disease, hepatic encephalopathy, cerebral infarction, migraine, urticaria, rosacea, growth retardation in children, iron deficiency anemia and many other diseases.
4, people taking aspirin and other non-steroidal drugs also need to be tested for HP to prevent ulcers or gastrointestinal bleeding.
The principle of carbon 13 breath test.
Carbon 13 is a naturally occurring stable isotope. Hp in the stomach relies on its highly active endogenous urease enzyme to break down the orally administered carbon 13-labeled urea into ammonia and carbon 13-labeled carbon dioxide, which is readily diffused into the blood and detected by exhalation through the lungs.
Features of the carbon 13 breath test.
1. The patient has the advantages of non-invasive, non-radiation and painless examination. Except for a very small number of reagent allergies, there are almost no toxic side effects;
2, the method is simple, convenient and quick, as long as you can blow, you can easily do the test. Almost no age limit.
3, no radioactive contamination, can be applied to infants, pregnant women, lactating women and women preparing for pregnancy and childbirth;
Carbon 13 breath test indications.
1, peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, gastric cancer and lymphoma patients ;
2.Patients who are in close contact with HP-infected patients;
3.Patients with family history of gastric cancer;
4.Patients with suspected HP infection and health check-ups;
5.Monitoring the efficacy of HP eradication.
Carbon 13 Specific method of breath test.
Patients can do it in fasting state or 2 hours after meal: hold the breath for 5 seconds, blow to collect the first bag of breath, then take the carbon 13 urea reagent orally, sit for 30 minutes, blow again to collect the second bag of breath, and hand over the two bags of samples to the doctor for testing. 10 minutes to take the results.