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Contact information

St-Elisabeth site - Uccle
02-614 20 00
St-Michel site - Etterbeek
02-614 30 00
Bella Vita Medical Center - Waterloo
02-614 42 00

urea breath test

urea breath test 

 

Your doctor has prescribed a urea breath test. This examination is now the most frequently used test to check for the presence of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium present in your body and responsible for gastric disorders, and then to eradicate it after treatment.

 

WHAT IS THE UREA BREATH TEST?

The urea breath test is used to detect active infection by Helicobacter pylori thanks to a chemical reaction produced by the bacteria.

Helicobacter pylori is capable of transforming urea, a substance present in the body, into carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia. The urea breath test involves labelling urea with carbon-13, a non-radioactive type of carbon; this solution is then mixed with orange juice. If you harbour the bacteria in your body, the CO2 you exhale after drinking this mixture will also be marked with carbon 13. If the bacterium is not present in your body, the urea ingested will not be modified, so the CO2 exhaled will not be marked and the carbon 13 will be eliminated in the faeces.

 

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR THE BREATHING TEST?

The test is easy to perform, absolutely painless and risk-free. However, you should stop taking your medication several weeks before taking the test to ensure a reliable result.

  • If you are taking an antibiotic, you should stop it 4 weeks before the test;
  • if you are taking a proton pump inhibitor or antihistamine, you should stop taking it 2 weeks before the test;
  • if you are taking an antacid, stop taking it 24 hours before the test;
  • you must not eat or drink in the 12 hours before the test;
  • you must not smoke in the hours preceding the test.

 

WHERE DOES THE EXAM TAKE PLACE?

The examination takes place at the Bella vita Medical Center tel: 02/614.42.00

 

HOW LONG DOES THE TEST TAKE?

The urea breath test lasts approximately 45 minutes.
For the duration of the test, you may not eat, smoke or go anywhere where smoking is permitted. Feel free to bring along some reading material or something to keep yourself occupied.

 

HOW DOES THE EXAM WORK?

The person in charge of the test will first ask you to blow into a tube using a straw. You will then be given a glass of orange juice to drink. Half an hour after drinking the orange juice, you will again be asked to blow into a tube using a straw. To be on the safe side, this may be a different tube from the first.

 

IS THE TEST PAINFUL?

The test is very easy to carry out, involves no risk and is absolutely painless.

 

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE EXAM?

You can return home immediately after the examination without having to be accompanied.
No special supervision is required after the examination.

 

AND THE RESULTS?

The results of the examination are communicated to you and your doctor, who will decide on the next stage of your treatment.

 

PRECAUTIONS BEFORE THE TEST

Make a note of the following information: 

Clinic badge: name, patient number, date of birth, sex.

Vignette from the mutual insurance company for outpatients who are not registered with the clinic.

Name and contact details of the prescribing and treating doctors.

Record the date of the examination, the test kit number and the urea ID number. 

Test kitContains a dose of 13C urea (75 mg for adults and children > 11 years, 45 mg for children < 11 years), a straw, six tubes, a test meal (200 ml of orange juice) and a request for examination.

 

HOW IS THE UREA TEST CARRIED OUT?

The test takes 30 to 35 minutes.

Technique for collecting a sample of exhaled air: blow into the tube using the straw. Blow until the tube fogs up. Remove the straw while continuing to blow, then quickly recap the tube.

1°) Collect an air sample in 2 tubes before starting the test (Sample 0, Sample 00).

2°) Drink half the orange juice.

3°) Put water in the small jar (urea 13C dissolved) with the powder and mix gently, drink and rinse and drink again.

4°) Finish the orange juice = start the timer

5°) Collect a sample of exhaled air after 30 min. in 3 tubes ( Sample 30-1, Sample 30-2, Sample 30-3).

 

TEST RESULT

The result is available after a maximum of one week.

Suggest a consultation with the gastroenterologist for patients without an external doctor.