Serology and urea breath test in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a chronic infection that has the potential for causing and initiating serious gastric disease. Specific treatment can be successful in eradication of the infection but is currently complex which hampers essential patient compliance. Therefore, the accurate detection of H. pylori and, importantly, the post-treatment check for cure is vital in the effective management of this infection. This is especially true in cases of asymptomatic individuals. Serology is now a simple ELISA with a high degree of accuracy and has been shown to be useful as a screening tool prior to endoscopy in selected cases. The urea breath test, either using C13 or C14, is a sensitive test easily applied and is the test of choice for post-treatment check for cure. It is also the gold standard for the validation of serology in different populations.