¹³ C-urea breath test

The ¹³ C urea breath test is a breath test for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori .

execution

For the test, the patient is urea administered to said carbon - isotope ¹³ is marked C. A sample of the exhaled air is taken immediately before the urea administration and 30 minutes afterwards. In addition, shortly before the urea solution is administered, the patient is given an acidic drink, usually orange juice, in order to close the gatekeeper and thus ensure that the urea test solution remains in the stomach for as long as possible. If the patient is infected with Helicobacter pylori , the enzyme urease (which is produced by Helicobacter) splits the ¹³ C-urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia . The carbon dioxide is exhaled and the proportion of ¹³ CO _{2 in} the total CO _{2 is determined} before and after administration of urea with the aid of mass spectrometry .

Since 2012, tests have been offered that do not require the administration of an acidic drink and only require a waiting time of 10 minutes. For this purpose, a special tablet with a reduced urea content is administered, which ensures that no urea hydrolysis can occur in the mouth or in the esophagus, which would falsify the measurement result.

Web links

• Information on the test at the Bremen Medical Laboratory ( Memento from September 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 71 kB)
• European Public Assessment Report (EPAR) and product information for Helicobacter Test INFAI on the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) website
• Helicobacter pylori infection: innovation in the ¹³ CO ₂ breath test