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BOO-BOOS, GERMS & PAP SMEARS:
Health Tips for Your Family
Is It an Ulcer, Doc?
New breath test makes it a lot easier to find out
by Kathy Sena
Diagnosing an ulcer without sticking a tube down the throat? That's what I call medical progress.
In fact, testing for the bacterium that causes most stomach ulcers, and some forms of stomach cancer,
can be as easy as blowing into a bag, say doctors at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
The "breath test" for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is not only the easiest but the most accurate test,
says Waqar Qureshi, M.D., associate professor of medicine and chief of endoscopy at BCM. More traditional ways of diagnosing
H. pylori require endoscopy (putting a scope down a person's esophagus to obtain a sample of the stomach lining for study).
Patients start by drinking a liquid that is broken down by H. pylori.
This breakdown results in the release of a substance that is detected in breath.
After 20 minutes, the patient blows into a specialized bag, which is then tested for the infection.
If a person is diagnosed with H. pylori, there is a higher chance his or her
family members also have the bacteria. Doctors usually test people with a family history of stomach ulcers or cancer,
or those with a medical history suggestive of ulcers, for this infection.
Kathy Sena is an award-winning health and parenting writer and the mother of a 13-year-old son.
Visit her website at KathySena.com
and check out her blog, Parent Talk Today, at
ParentTalkToday.com.
*The opinions stated aren't necessarily those of MommaSaid or its principals. Seek professional advice before beginning any health program.
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