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What Is The Urea Breath Test

The urea breath test diagnoses the presence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the stomach. It works by having patients swallow urea capsules containing carbon isotopes. If H. pylori is present, it will break down the urea and convert it to carbon dioxide, which travels to the lungs in the breath. Breath samples are analyzed for the isotopic carbon; a detection means H. pylori is present, while no detection means it was successfully treated. The test is safe and complications-free.

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Dika Rizkiardi
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68 views2 pages

What Is The Urea Breath Test

The urea breath test diagnoses the presence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the stomach. It works by having patients swallow urea capsules containing carbon isotopes. If H. pylori is present, it will break down the urea and convert it to carbon dioxide, which travels to the lungs in the breath. Breath samples are analyzed for the isotopic carbon; a detection means H. pylori is present, while no detection means it was successfully treated. The test is safe and complications-free.

Uploaded by

Dika Rizkiardi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is the urea breath test?

The urea breath test (UBT) is a test for diagnosing the presence of a bacterium,
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in the stomach. H. pylori causes inflammation, ulcers,
and atrophy of the stomach. The test also may be used to demonstrate that H.
pylori has been eliminated by treatment with antibiotics.

What is the basis of this test?

The urea breath test is based on the ability of H. pylori to break down urea, a
chemical made up of nitrogen and carbon, into carbon dioxide which then is
absorbed from the stomach and eliminated in the breath. (Urea normally is
produced by the body from excess or "waste" nitrogen-containing chemicals and
then eliminated in the urine.)

How is this breath test done?

For the test, patients swallow a capsule containing urea made from an isotope of
carbon. (Isotopes of carbon occur in minuscule amounts in nature, and can be
measured with special testing machines.) If H. pylori is present in the stomach, the
urea is broken up and turned into carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is absorbed
across the lining of the stomach and into the blood. It then travels in the blood to
the lungs where it is excreted in the breath. Samples of exhaled breath are
collected, and the isotopic carbon in the exhaled carbon dioxide is measured.

How are the results of the urea breath test interpreted?

If the isotope is detected in the breath, it means that H. pylori is present in the
stomach. If the isotope is not found, H. pylori is not present. When the H. pylori is

effectively treated (eradicated) by antibiotics, the test changes from positive


(isotope present) to negative (isotope absent).

Are there any risks or complications of the urea breath test?

There are no risks or complications of the urea breath test.

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