Follow up of serial urea breath test results in patients after consumption of antibiotics for non-gastric infections.
OBJECTIVE
The widespread use of antibacterial therapy has been suggested to be the cause for the decline in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection. This study examine the serial changes of urea breath test results in a group of hospitalized patients who were given antibacterial therapy for non-gastric infections.


METHODS
Thirty-five hospitalized patients who were given antibacterial therapy for clinical infections, predominantly chest and urinary infections, were studied. Most (91 %) patients were given single antibiotic of either a penicillin or cephalosporin group. Serial (13)C-urea breath tests were performed within 24 hours of initiation of antibiotics, at one-week and at six-week post-therapy. H. pylori infection was diagnosed when one or more urea breath tests was positive.


RESULTS
All 35 patients completed three serial urea breath tests and 26 (74 %) were H. pylori-positive. Ten (38 %) H. pylori-infected patients had at least one negative breath test results during the study period. The medium delta (13)C values were significantly lower at baseline (8.8) than at one-week (20.3) and six-week (24.5) post-treatment in H. pylori-positive individuals (P=0.022). Clearance of H. pylori at six-week was only seen in one patient who had received anti-helicobacter therapy from another source.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggested that one-third of H. pylori-infected individuals had transient false-negative urea breath test results during treatment with antibacterial agent. However, clearance of H. pylori infection by regular antibiotic consumption is rare.
Leung
Wai-Keung
WK
Department of Medicine Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China. wkleung@cuhk.edu.hk
Hung
Lawrence Cheung-Tsui
LC
Kwok
Carrie Ka-Li
CK
Leong
Rupert Wing-Loong
RW
Ng
Daniel Kwok-Keung
DK
Sung
Joseph Jao-Yiu
JJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001944:Breath Tests; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014508:Urea