IVD
How do you test for Helicobacter pylori?
Test helicobacter pylori has 4 steps:
- Taking a stool sample: Twist the stool sampling stick, insert the stool sample, and take 35 different parts to completely cover the threaded grooves of the stick.
- Put it back into the collection tube and shake well: Put the stool collection stick back into the tube. If the stool is loose, use a pipette to draw 2 drops (50 μL) into the collection tube, tighten the collection tube, and shake it well.
- Drops into the treated sample: Unscrew the cap of the collection tube, discard the first two drops, and drip 2 drops (100 μL) vertically to the sample addition point
- Observations: If red bands appear only in the quality control area (C) and there are no red bands in the test area (T), it is negative.
What is Helicobacter pylori?
Helicobacter pylori (Hp) often parasitizes in gastric mucosal tissues. After infection, it mainly causes diseases such as chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer. It is closely related to diseases such as gastric cancer and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. It is listed as a Class I biological leakage factor by the World Health Organization (WHO).
What is Helicobacter pylori IgG？
Helicobacter pylori antibody IgG is a protein produced by the immune system of a patient infected with Helicobacter pylori. This antibody will not disappear with the disappearance of Helicobacter pylori. Even if Helicobacter pylori is eradicated, this Helicobacter pylori antibody IGG protein will remain in the body. Therefore, when the Helicobacter pylori antibody test is positive, it does not mean that there is a current infection with Helicobacter pylori. It can only mean that this is a past infection. To confirm whether there is a Helicobacter pylori infection, a carbon 14 breath test is needed.
What does it mean if a helicobacter pylori test is positive?
A positive helicobacter pylori test indicates that you have H. pylori bacteria in your stomach or upper small intestine. This bacteria can cause inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis), peptic ulcers, lymphoproliferative gastric lymphoma, etc. In some cases, if not treated promptly, it can lead to more serious diseases such as stomach cancer.
If the helicobacter pylori test result is positive, its meaning needs to be analyzed in combination with the test method. The specific analysis is as follows
1. Helicobacter pylori Urea breath test. If the patient has a breath test and the test result is positive, it indicates that the patient has an H. pylori infection, which means that the H. pylori bacteria is in the active stage. This bacteria can live in your digestive tract for years without causing symptoms, but it often causes ulcers in the stomach or small intestine.
2. Blood test. If the patient has a blood test and the test result is positive, the patient may have had an H. pylori infection in the past, even if it has been cured. It is also possible that the patient has an H. pylori infection now. Therefore, the results of blood tests cannot fully indicate that Helicobacter pylori is in the active stage.
3. Helicobacter pylori treatment. If you are confirmed to be infected with Helicobacter pylori, you need to treat it promptly. To prevent complications, doctors usually prescribe a combination of antibiotics and acid-suppressing drugs to kill the bacteria and heal the stomach lining. Otherwise, the risk of cancer increases. Although most infections do not lead to cancer, chronic inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori increases the risk of stomach cancer, especially when there are other risk factors such as family history.
