What is the cost of the Helicobacter pylori breath test? | Helicobacter pylori breath test

What is the cost of the Helicobacter pylori breath test?

If the Helicobacter pylori breath test is used to monitor the course of a therapy or for the first detection of the pathogen in children, the health insurance usually covers the costs. For adults, gastroscopy is always the first choice for the first diagnosis of a Helicobacter pylori infection. This means: If you as an adult do not want to undergo a gastroscopy or if it is not possible to perform one in your case, you will probably have to bear the costs yourself. However, private health insurance companies usually cover the costs. Otherwise, the costs are about 15 to 20 Euros.

Alternative to the breath test – The Urease Test

The Urease Rapid Test is another possibility to detect Helicobacter pylori. However, this test can only be performed if tissue samples from the stomach mucosa have been obtained beforehand. A gastroscopy always precedes the urease rapid test.

The functional principle of the rapid test is based – as with the breath test – on the ability of the Helicobacter pylori to convert urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. The test strip of the urease test contains a urea-containing color indicator. If the Helicobacter is present in the tissue sample, the urea is cleaved.

The ammonia that is produced increases the pH value. When the pH value changes, the test strip reacts with a red coloration. If there is no color change and the test strip remains yellow, there is no Helicobacter pylori.

The Urease Rapid Test is metabolically dependent, so it can be falsified by the influence of certain substances: If therapeutic agents are taken – such as proton pump inhibitors (e.g. omeprazole, pantoprazole) or antibiotics – the activity of the urease is inhibited. Helicobacter pylori cannot form ammonia. It can therefore no longer protect itself against gastric acid.

This also makes sense, because the aim is to eliminate the Helicobacter pylori with the help of medication. However, since the functional principle of the urease test is based on the detection of urease activity, it is assumed in such a case that no urease and thus no Helicobacter pylori is present. Thus the test result is false negative, it is falsified.

In order not to influence the test, antibiotics should be discontinued six weeks before and PPIs one week before. Otherwise the test does not make sense, because the results are unreliable!No. To perform the Urease Rapid Test, a tissue sample from the stomach lining is required.

This tissue sample can be obtained by gastroscopy. This means that an invasive, body manipulating procedure is necessary to perform the test. This is of course carried out by a physician. Therefore, it makes no sense that the Urease Rapid Test is issued over the counter at the pharmacy without a prescription.