Normal value of carbon breath test

The quality of the digestive system is often linked to a person's health. People with good stomachs and digestive systems are often healthier than those with problems with the digestive system. The digestive system is a large body system that is mainly composed of the large intestine, small intestine, and excretory system. When we eat unhealthy food, there is often the possibility of Helicobacter pylori infection. When we suspect that we are infected with Helicobacter pylori, the doctor will ask us to do a carbon breath test to detect whether the bacteria in our body is within a normal value.

The carbon-13 urea breath test is used to check for Helicobacter pylori infection. Its principle is to introduce a substrate labeled with the stable radionuclide 13C into the body (mainly orally), and use an isotope ratio mass spectrometer to detect changes in the final metabolite 13CO2 of the substrate to study metabolic reactions and physiological processes in the body.

Normal value

Measure the 12C/13C ratio (δ value) in the breath samples before and after taking the medicine. If the difference between the δ value after exhalation and the δ value before exhalation is <4, then the Hp is negative.

Clinical significance

Abnormal results: Measure the 12C/13C ratio (δ value) in the breath samples before and after taking the medicine. If the difference between the δ value after exhalation and the δ value before exhalation is > 4, it is Hp positive, indicating infection with Helicobacter pylori. People who need to be checked: patients with Helicobacter pylori infection and gastrointestinal ulcer.

Precautions

People who are not suitable for examination: None Pre-examination contraindications: The test must be performed on an empty stomach or two hours after a meal. The patient has not taken antibiotics, bismuth preparations, proton pump inhibitors and other Hp-sensitive drugs in the past month, otherwise it will cause a false negative test result. Taboos during inspection: (1) Inspection is scheduled in the morning. (2) During the test, the first breath sample is collected, then a special powder is taken, and the patient sits quietly and waits for 30 minutes. During this time, nothing can be consumed or consumed. Finally, the patient exhales the gas with all his strength into another collection tube. The two test tubes containing the collected gas are analyzed on a specific instrument to obtain the result of whether HP is present.

Inspection process

(1) Take a cup of test meal (about 12 ml) orally; (2) Collect breath at zero time; (3) Take urea [13C] orally and start timing. (Dosage: 75 mg for adults, 13C abundance > 99%, 50 mg for children under 12 years old, 13C abundance > 99%); (4) Collect exhaled breath at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 minutes. When using the simplified method, only the first 30 minutes of exhaled breath are collected.

Related diseases

Helicobacter pylori infection in children, peptic ulcer during pregnancy, peptic ulcer, peptic ulcer in children, bleeding gastric and duodenal ulcer, duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer