Helicobacter Forums

hello! Helico_expert. I do C14 UBT again today. The DPM value is 118. The cut off calue is 100. So I got a positive again. But my result is near the cut off calue. Should I begin an eradication course or have another test? Thank you!

Hi,

Sorry for the late slow response. Usually for border line reading, we'll ask the patient to repeat the breath test in a month time. The low UBT reading could be due to some mouth bacteria that you swallow everyday.

Hi, I went to another hospital and had a C13 UBT today. The DOB is 6.1 and the cut off value is 4. So I think I am truly positive. I feel very depressed about this result. I eradicated my H.pylori in 2011. In past two years, I got 4 times of negative of UBT. I thought I really get rid of H.pylori. To avoid re-infection, I am very very careful In everyday life. I do not share food with family and keep myself clean. I always drink boiled water, eat hot meal.

Between October to December of this year, I had to attend a career training in another city. So I left home and ate in refectory for 3 months. The refectory is not as clean as home, but it is not very bad. Maybe this is the reason of my re-infection.I read lots of article about h.pylori. Most authors think re-infection rate is very low. I do not know why I am unusual. Maybe I am susceptible to H.pylori.

I am going to begin another eradication course. But I am confused about this. If I am very easy to get H.pylori again, what is the value of eradication?
Thank you for your reply.

It is true that reinfection is rare. For most people, it's usually treatment failure. If your case is a true reinfection, then a normal antibiotic treatment will do the trick. Because the new comer is normally free of resistance. However, if it is due to treatment failure, then you'll need a new set of antibiotics. For patients who had tried many antibiotics, we would recommend an endoscopy and a bacterial culture antibiotic sensitivity test. I think that is ultimately the most cost effective way for treating H. pylori.

I have finished my eradication course in October 2011. In the next one year, I had C14 UBT for 4 times. Each time I got a negative result. The detail of my C14 result see my post earlier in this forum : viewtopic.php?f=33&t=203159.

I do not know how to distinguish reinfection and recrudescence of H.pylori. In the articles I read, recrudescence usually happens within one year after eradication. So I think my case now is more like reinfection. But my UBT result now is not high. It is strange. Could recrudescence happen in two years after eradication?

thank you for your reply.

urea breath test works when your stomach is acidic. perhaps your stomach is not producing enough acid?

C13 is accurate, but because our body naturally carry a lot of C13, the background may be already high to mask the result. Perhaps you want to try C14 that has a more discriminating power?

otherwise, endoscopy and histology should be able to tell your true stomach condition. an acute inflammation will indicate presence of H. pylori (or something else); a chronic inflammation will normally indicate the recovery period; a normal biopsy without inflammation will indicate no H. pylori.

in addition, if the specialist can order a bacterial culture from the biopsy, that will also tell if you are still infected with H. pylori.

Now I am taking a medicine named Live Combined Bifidobacterium Lactobacillus and Enterococcus. It can get rid of bad bacterium in my bowel. And I want to have a teeth clean to get rid of bad bacterium in my mouth. I decide to have another C14 UBT several days later. My C14 DPM value is 118 now. I want to see if the result changes or not. If I get a positive again, I will begin eradication course.

Thank you for reply. I will update my situation in time.

do update us with your result.

Hi,I have another C14 UBT today. The DPM value is 135. I think my positive is no doubt. I want to begin a course of eradication and I will update my situation in time. Thank you!

I have a C14 UBT again today in hospital. The DPM value is 51 (cut off value is 100). So once again I get a negative. Whatever, it is a good news for me.