Is there any correlation between 13C-urea breath test values and response to first-line and rescue Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies?

AimTo study if there is a correlation between 13C-urea breath test values prior to treatment and the response to first-line and rescue Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies.MethodsSix-hundred patients with peptic ulcer or functional dyspepsia infected by H. pylori were prospectively studied. Pre-treatment H. pylori infection was established by 13C-urea breath test. Three-hundred and twelve patients were treated with first-line eradication regimen, and 288 received a rescue regimen. H. pylori eradication was defined as a negative 13C-urea breath test, 8 weeks after completion of treatment.ResultsH. pylori eradication was achieved in 444 patients. No statistically significant differences were demonstrated when mean δ13C-urea breath test values were compared between patients with eradication success and failure (49.4 ± 33 versus 49.2 ± 31). Differences in mean pre-treatment δ13CO2 between patients with eradication success/failure were not demonstrated either when first-line or rescue regimens were prescribed. With the cut-off point of pre-treatment δ13CO2 set at 35 units, sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of H. pylori eradication success was 43 and 60%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve evaluating all the cut-off points of the pre-treatment δ13CO2 for the diagnosis of H. pylori eradication was 0.5. Finally, δ13CO2 values did not influence the eradication in the logistic regression model.ConclusionNo correlation was observed between 13C-urea breath test values before treatment and the response to first-line and rescue H. pylori eradication therapies. Therefore, we conclude that the quantification of δ13CO2 prior to treatment is not useful to predict the success or failure of eradicating therapy.