Gut
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
13C urea breath test (UBT) in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori: why does it work better with acid test meals?
Acid test meals may improve the accuracy of the (13)C urea breath test (UBT). This has been attributed to changes in gastric emptying rather than to the effects of gastric pH on Helicobacter pylori urease. ⋯ The higher UBT found with acidified compared with neutral test meals was independent of the emptying rates of the test meals but may have been due to medium acidity dependent activation of intra-bacterial urease in intact H pylori.