Evaluation of Three Non-Invasive Diagnostic Techniques for Detecting Helicobacter Pylori Infection

	Evaluation of Three Non-Invasive Diagnostic Techniques for Detecting Helicobacter Pylori Infection
Al-Zahraa Journal for Health and Medical Sciences
Article 5, Volume 3, Issue 2, June 2025, Pages 66-75 PDF (699.49 K)
Document Type: Research Article
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori is a common stomach infection linked to chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Among the diagnostic procedures available, non-invasive diagnostics such as the urea breath test (UBT), stool antigen test (SAT), and serological antibody test (serology) are extensively utilized. The aim of this study was to assess and contrast the diagnostic efficacy of the stool antigen test (SAT) and serological antibody test (serology) in the detection of active H. pylori infection, with the urea breath test (UBT) serving as the reference standard. A cross-sectional study was performed on 140 patients exhibiting upper gastrointestinal symptoms. All subjects had UBT, SAT, and serological testing. Diagnostic performance criteria such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed for SAT and serology in relation to UBT. Out of 140 patients, UBT identified 70 (50%) as positive for H. pylori. The SAT demonstrated a sensitivity and NPV of 100%, specificity of 67.1%, and PPV of 75.3%. In contrast, the serological test showed lower sensitivity (78.6%), specificity (21.4%), PPV (50%), and NPV (50%). SAT outperformed serology in all diagnostic metrics
Keywords
Helicobacter pylori; urea breath test; sensitivity; specificity; positive predictive value

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