Effect of Standard and High Dose Ranitidine on [13C]Urea Breath Test Results

Abstract

Ranitidine at standard or high doses did not generate a reproducible decline in breath test results. Histamine 2 blockers do not need to be discontinued before urea breath testing.

Influence of anti-ulcer drugs used in Japan on the result of 13 C-urea breath test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection

“…7 According to Savarino et al, 6 the rate of a false-negative UBT after ranitidine administration is comparable to that after the administration of omeprazole. Although it has recently been reported that these drugs produce a false-negative test result, regardless of the dose, 12 there is no consensus of opinion regarding the effects of anti-ulcer drugs on the results of the UBT.…”

“…Much work has been done to document its high reproducibility, 8,9 but the accuracy of the test is significantly affected by the timing of the test and by the administration of anti-ulcer drugs. [3][4][5][6][7] One of the problems with the UBT is that a falsenegative result may be obtained if the test is performed soon after microbial eradication. Mucosal H. pylori levels and delayed recovery of the organism are considered to be some of the causes of a false-negative reaction.…”

“…An abundance of information is available concerning the effects of PPIs on the results of the UBT. [3][4][5][6][7] The false-negative rate of the UBT in patients on a PPI, or after treatment with a PPI varies with the drug dose and the treatment period. With omeprazole and lansoprazole, the false-negative rate was high, in the range of 17% to 66%.…”

“…3-5 H 2 -receptor antagonists (H 2 RA) are also known to affect the results of the UBT. 6,7 Also, considering the fact that mucoprotective agents have been widely used in clinical practice in Japan, it was considered necessary to determine how the anti-ulcer drugs used in Japan might affect the results of the UBT.…”

Accuracy of 13C-urea breath test in clinical use for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection*

“…In order to avoid false-negative results, patients must not take proton pump inhibitors for at least two weeks before receiving the UBT (28,29). In contrast, histamine (H 2 ) blockers in standard dose do not seem to influence UBT results (29,30), whereas high-dose ranitidine requires a five days break (29,31). Decreasing the dead space contamination is important to reduce the measurement error in 13 C-UBT (32).…”