H. pylori testing feasible for people in community settings

Community Helicobacter pylori (HP) testing in high-risk individuals is technically feasible, according to a study published online April 3 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Shria Kumar, M.D., from the University of Miami, and colleagues evaluated the results of community-based HP testing in an at-risk, underserved population. The analysis included 155 participants undergoing testing using a portable urea breath test machine.

The researchers found that 34 percent of participants had HP infection, 63 percent were negative, and 3 percent were indeterminate. HP infection was significantly more common among participants who were Hispanic/Latino (79 versus 54 percent), younger (48 versus 52 years), and non-English speakers (Spanish-speaking: 67 versus 30 percent). Among the 52 participants with infection, 42 percent were retested with confirmed eradication, 37 percent were unable to be recontacted, and 19 percent did not complete treatment. Barriers identified by participants included medication tolerability, frequent dosing, and logistics of attending a second testing session. High motivation for testing and treatment was seen among those with familiarity of the association between HP and gastric cancer.

“While our medication-focused eradication rate is 96 percent, suggesting acceptable rates of eradication based on antibiotic efficacy, an intention-to-treat analysis yields markedly lower results: among 52 with infection, only 42 percent had confirmed eradication,” the authors write.

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