H pylori Breath Test
Approximately two-thirds of the world's population is infected with Helicobacter pylori or H.pylori, a bacterium that lives in the stomach of those infected.
Most persons who are infected with H. pylori never suffer any symptoms related to the infection; however, H. pylori causes gastritis in adults and children. Infection with H. pylori also causes duodenal and gastric ulcers and infected persons have a 2- to 6-fold increased risk of developing gastric cancer.
H. pylori can be a serious infection that needs to be treated! Symptoms of conditions caused by H.Pylori include gnawing or burning pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting or loss of appetite.
H.pylori can usually be diagnosed by a simple breath test offered by the physicians at Physicians Cooperative. A patient takes a capsule with warm water, holds his/her breath for 5-10 seconds and then inflates a special balloon with their breath. The breath that is released into the balloon is then released into a special diagnostic machine and the results are analyzed by a physician. It’s that simple! If the test is positive then a course of treatment is determined.
For more information on H.pylori, view the CDC heliobacter pylori website Fact Sheet:
For an appointment with one of the physicians at Physicians Cooperative, call:
(708) 798-8112
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