title: Twenty-minute 50 mg 13C-urea breath test without test meal for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We have previously shown that the 75 mg 13C-urea breath test without citrate test meal is highly accurate for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese subjects. A lower dose 50 mg 13C-urea breath test protocol with a sampling time at 20 min has not been validated previously.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the accuracy of a 20-min 50 mg 13C-urea breath test protocol in Chinese subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive dyspeptic patients referred for upper endoscopy were recruited. 13C-urea breath test was performed using (a) 75 mg and 50 mg of 13C-urea on two separate days without a test meal, and (b) 50 mg of 13C-urea with 2.4 g citrate as test meal, and compared with the gold standard [rapid urease test (CLO test) and histology]. Baseline, 20-min and 30-min breath samples were collected in all cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and six patients were tested. The accuracy of the 50 mg 13C-urea breath test (no citrate) at 20 min and 30 min was 98%, comparable to that of the 50 mg 13C-urea breath test with citrate (99.1%) and the 75 mg 13C-urea breath test without citrate (100%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A 20-min 50 mg 13C-urea breath test without citrate produced highly accurate results for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection and is more economical and convenient for the Chinese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods*; D002681:China; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014508:Urea / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014508:Urea