04/25/2002
By Harvey McConnell
A simple breath test for detecting Helicobactor pylori infection is as effective and safe as endoscopy, and provides greater patients satisfaction, British clinicians have found.
A randomised controlled trial with follow up at 12 months comparing the two procedures was carried out by Dr K E L McColl and colleagues at the Department of Gastroenterology, University of Glasgow, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland.
The clinicians said there great interest in non-invasive H. pylori testing rather than endoscopy among patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. They studied 708 patients with indigestion referred to hospital for endoscopic investigation. Overall, 356 patients received a non-invasive breath test for H. pylori and 352 received endoscopy plus H. pylori testing.
The clinicians added that concern about widespread implementation of non-invasive invasive H. pylori testing in place of endoscopy is that upper gastrointestinal malignancy may be missed in some patients.
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