Serology and urea breath test in the diagnosis ofH. pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori is a chronic infection that has the potential for causing and initiating serious gastric-disease. Specific treatment can be successful in eradication of the infection but is currently complex which hampers essential patient compliance. Therefore, the accurate detection ofH. pylori and. importantly, the post-treatment check for cure is vital in the effective management of this infection. This is especially true in cases of asymptomatic individuals. Serology is now a simple ELISA with a high degree of accuracy and has been shown to be useful as a screening tool prior to endoscopy in selected cases. The urea breath test, either using C¹³ or C¹⁴. is a sensitive test easily applied and is the test of choice for post-treatment check for cure. It is also the gold standard for the validation of serology in different populations.