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Concordance between breath test and histologic damage in Helicobacter pylori associated infections in infancy
M Jané Santamaría1, V Varea Calderón, E Camacho
1Servicio de Gastroenterología, Unidad Integrada de Pediatría, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, España.
Insights
The urea breath test (UBT) does not correlate with the severity of gastric inflammation in children. This study found no concordance between UBT values and histological findings in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Diagnostic Accuracy
- Helicobacter pylori Detection
Background:
- The urea breath test (UBT) is a non-invasive method for detecting Helicobacter pylori infection.
- Histological examination of gastric biopsies is the gold standard for assessing the severity of gastritis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between urea breath test values and the histological severity of gastric mucosal lesions in pediatric patients.
- To determine if UBT results can reliably indicate the degree of gastritis in children.
Main Methods:
- Endoscopic examination and biopsy were performed on 40 children (ages 3-17) presenting with abdominal pain and positive UBT results.
- Histological assessment categorized gastric mucosa into four groups: normal, mild, moderate, and severe antrum gastritis.
- UBT values were compared against these histological classifications.
Main Results:
- No clear trend was observed between UBT values and the severity of gastritis.
- Mean UBT values were 44.07 for normal mucosa, 36.15 for mild gastritis, 48.50 for moderate gastritis, and 52.31 for severe gastritis.
- These findings indicate a lack of concordance.
Conclusions:
- The urea breath test does not accurately reflect the histological severity of gastric mucosal lesions in children.
- UBT results should be interpreted with caution in pediatric populations when assessing gastritis severity.
Objective:
the purpose of this study was to investigate the concordance between urea breath test values and the histological severity of gastric mucosa lesions in children.
Method:
forty children ranging in age from 3 to 17 years were examined endoscopically because of abdominal pain and positive breath test results. Histological status was determined by the intensity of the inflammatory infiltrate and by the depth of the damage. Histologically, four groups were considered: normal-appearing gastric mucosa (group 0), mild antrum gastritis (group 1), moderate antrum gastritis (group 2), and severe antrum gastritis (group 3).
Results:
normal-appearing gastric mucosa was observed in 8 children with a mean breath test value of 44.07; mild chronic gastritis was observed in 17 children with a mean breath test value of 36.15; moderate gastritis was demonstrated in 10 children with a mean breath test value of 48.50, and severe gastritis was observed in 5 children with a mean breath test value of 52.31.
Conclusion:
we conclude that there is no concordance between urea breath test values and histological severity of gastric mucosa lesions in children.