People with a history of peptic ulcer disease, active gastric ulcer, or active duodenal ulcer associated with H. pylori infection should be treated. Once detected via a simple breath test, patients with a peptic ulcer or gastritis caused by H. pylori can begin a normal course of treatment to eradicate the underlying bacterial infection, thus allowing the ulcer to heal. The first line of H. pylori treatment therapy is one week of triple therapy (a cocktail which includes two type of antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor, or PPI). Today, many individuals who have suffered for years from the pain of peptic ulcers can now undergo helicobacter pylori treatment and successfully eradicate the bacterial infection that was causing their ulcers.
Individuals who have antibiotic resistant bacteria may need additional rounds of H. pylori treatment therapy; in some cases, alternative strategies with quadruple therapy (including bismuth colloid) may be needed. Patients may need multiple breath tests throughout the H. pylori treatment process, so that medical professionals can monitor their progress and immediately intercede with a change in medication if they are not responding as desired. Since individuals are often asymptomatic for years, accurate testing is the first step toward helicobacter pylori treatment.
Successful H. pylori treatment can help existing ulcers to heal, prevent ulcers from coming back, and reduce the risk of ulcer-related complications such as bleeding. Our BreathID System has been clinically proven to be 98% effective in accurately diagnosing the presence of the H. pylori bacteria.
For more information about how the BreathID breath test system is used to detect H. pylori at the point-of-care, please watch a short film on Urea Breath Tests or contact a company representative by completing the contact form.