Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Cheal Wung Huh; Byung-Wook Kim

doi:10.4166/kjg.2018.72.5.229

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Huh and Kim: Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Review Article

The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology 2018; 72(5): 229-236.

Published online: 28 November 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4166/kjg.2018.72.5.229

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Cheal Wung Huh, Byung-Wook Kim

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence to: Byung-Wook Kim, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 56 Dongsu-ro, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon 21431, Korea. Tel: +82-32-280-5052, Fax: +82-32-280-5987, gastro@catholic.ac.kr

Received 9 September 2018 Revised 17 September 2018 Accepted 17 September 2018

Korean Society of Gastroenterology

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Accurate diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is mandatory for the effective management of many gastroduodenal diseases. Currently, various diagnostic methods are available for detecting these infections, and the choice of method should take into account the clinical condition, accessibility, advantage, disadvantage, as well as cost-effectiveness. The diagnostic methods are divided into invasive (endoscopic-based) and non-invasive methods. Non-invasive methods included urea breath test, stool antigen test, serology, and molecular methods. Invasive methods included endoscopic imaging, rapid urease test, histology, culture, and molecular methods. In this article, we provide a review of the currently available options and recent advances of various diagnostic methods.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, Diagnosis, Guideline

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Rapid urase test. When Helicobacter pylori produce ammonia then pH will increase and the color of the medium will change from yellow to red.

Fig. 2

Giemsa stain. The Helicobacter pylori organisms (arrows) are present in Giemsa stain (×400).

Table 1

Overview of Diagnostic Methods

UBT, urea breath test; H. pylori, Helicobacter pylori; PPI, proton pump inhibitor; SAT, stool antigen test; RUT, rapid urease test.

Table 2

Recommended Diagnostic Method for Helicobacter pylori in Recent Guidelines

UBT, urea breath test; SAT, stool antigen test; RUT, rapid urease test.

Table 3

Diagnostic Options of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Different Clinical Circumstances

GI, gastrointestinal; UBT, urea breath test; SAT, stool antigen test; RUT, rapid urease test.

Notes

^{Financial support} None.

^{Conflict of interest} None.

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ORCID iDs: Byung-Wook Kim
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2290-4954
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