H. pylori can be detected through blood, stool, and breath or with a biopsy.
Blood tests can be done to see if the body has developed defences against H. pylori. However, this may be inaccurate as these defences can persist after the infection has cleared.
A non-invasive, painless test is the “urea breath test”. This is done in a clinic setting. The doctor will take a breath sample from you, then ask you to consume a tablet containing a chemical called urea. This area is broken down by H. pylori into ammonia and carbon dioxide. After about 20 minutes, we will ask you to blow up another small plastic bag, and send your breath samples out for testing. We will compare the 2 breath samples and if the breakdown products are detected, it indicates the presence of H. pylori in your stomach. There are some instructions to be given to the patient before the test is done. Some of these include avoiding taking acid suppression medications for 2 weeks before and to fast for a few hours before the test. More instructions will be told to you by your doctor.
The other way to diagnose H. pylori is to do an endoscope through the mouth. During the endoscopy, the doctor will take a piece of tissue from your stomach and place it on a test kit containing urea. If H. pylori are present, ammonia (broken down from urea) will give a positive result. However, endoscopies are usually done for patients with alarming or persistent symptoms.
Stool testing is currently is not available commercially here, but it tests for the presence of H. pylori in the stool.
