{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,7]],"date-time":"2026-02-07T17:43:22Z","timestamp":1770486202252,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Gut"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1997,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>BACKGROUND: There is interest in noninvasive H pylori testing as a means of predicting diagnosis and determining management in dyspeptic patients. AIMS: To assess the value of the 14C urea breath test as a predictor of peptic ulcer disease in patients presenting with dyspepsia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 327 consecutive patients referred for investigation of dyspepsia had a 14C urea breath test performed before endoscopy. Patients were not included if they had previously confirmed ulcer disease, previous gastric surgery, or were taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. RESULTS: Of the 182 patients with a positive 14C urea breath test, duodenal and\/or gastric ulcers were present in 45% and erosive duodenitis in a further 2%. Oesophagitis was present in 12% of the breath test positive patients with two thirds of the oesophagitis patients having co-existent ulcer disease. The prevalence of ulcer disease in the H pylori positive dyspeptic patients was independently related to smoking and previous investigation status. If previously uninvestigated, the prevalence of ulcers was 67% in smokers and 46% in non-smokers. If previous upper gastrointestinal investigations were negative, the prevalence of ulcers was 53% in smokers and 28% in non-smokers. Of the 136 patients with a negative breath test, only 5% had peptic ulcers. The most frequent endoscopic finding in these H pylori negative subjects was oesophagitis, being present in 17%. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that a positive H pylori test is a powerful predictor of the presence of underlying ulcer disease in dyspeptic patients, especially if smokers, and that a negative H pylori test is a powerful predictor of the absence of ulcer disease. It also indicates that a negative upper gastrointestinal investigation does not preclude subsequent presentation with ulcer disease.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/gut.40.3.302","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,8,18]],"date-time":"2014-08-18T14:06:44Z","timestamp":1408370804000},"page":"302-306","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":65,"title":["The Helicobacter pylori breath test: a surrogate marker for peptic ulcer disease in dyspeptic patients."],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"40","author":[{"given":"K E","family":"McColl","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A","family":"el-Nujumi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"L","family":"Murray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"E","family":"el-Omar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"D","family":"Gillen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A","family":"Dickson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A","family":"Kelman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"T E","family":"Hilditch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1997,3,1]]},"container-title":["Gut"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/gut.40.3.302","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,13]],"date-time":"2025-12-13T06:11:08Z","timestamp":1765606268000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/gut.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/gut.40.3.302"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1997,3]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1997,3,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1997,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/gut.40.3.302"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/gut.40.3.302","relation":{},"ISSN":["0017-5749","1468-3288"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0017-5749","type":"print"},{"value":"1468-3288","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1997,3]]}}}