[Value of urease breath test in helicobacter pylori infection diagnostics among children and youth]

Abstract

One of non-invasive methods of Helicobacter pylori diagnostics is the breath test with urea 13C.

The aim: of the study was to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of urea breath test (UBT) in Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection diagnosis among children and youth.

Patients and methods: medical records of 100 patients, hospitalised due to gastrointestinal disorders, between 3 and 18 years of age were analysed. In all patients urea breath test, endoscopy of upper gastrointestinal tract with macroscopic assessment of gastric and duodenal mucosa and morphologic assessment of biopsy specimens were performed.

Results: positive results of urea breath test were present in twenty-six patients. In five patients (5%) breath test was positive despite the lack of Helicobacter pylori infection in histhopathology samples. This group was 19.23% of all patients who had positive result of breath test. Among 21 (21%) patients result of breath test was correlated with positive result of histhopathology studies. This group was 80.77% of all patients with positive results of breath test. Among the remaining 74 patients (74%) results of breath test were negative. The results of Hp and UBT correlation are as follows: in 64% children: Hp (-), UBT (-), in 5% Hp (-), UBT (+), in 10% children: Hp (+), UBT (-), in 24%, Hp (+), UBT (+)

Conclusions: result of urea breath test should be verified by endoscopy studies with morphologic assessment of specimens to avoid overdiagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.