title: [Non-invasive analyses for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection. A critical review of the literature].
abstract: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection may be diagnosed by means of invasive techniques requiring endoscopy and biopsy (histological examination, rapid urease test, culture, polymerase chain reaction) and by non-invasive techniques (urea breath test, detection of specific antibodies in the serum or urine, detection of the H. pylori antigen in a stool specimen). Some non-invasive tests detect active infection e.g. the urea breath test and the stool antigen test and are called active tests. Other non-invasive tests are markers of exposure to H. pylori (e.g. serology or urine) but do not indicate whether active infection is ongoing and are called passive tests. Non-invasive tests and treatment strategies are widely recommended in primary care settings and the choice of the appropriate test depends on the pre-test probability of infection, the characteristics of the test being used and its cost-effectiveness. The available non-invasive tests are reviewed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, Università degli Studi, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi di Bologna. vairadin@med.unibo.it
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaira
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gatta
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bernabucci
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cavina
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miglioli
mesh_terms: D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans