Is the higher the positive value of C14 breath test, the more severe it is

The higher the positive value of C14 breath test, the more severe the helicobacter pylori infection, but there is no absolute correlation between the value and the severity of gastric mucosal injury. Helicobacter pylori infection may be caused by factors such as shared meal transmission and raw food contamination. It is recommended to evaluate the condition in conjunction with gastroscopy examination. The C14 breath test determines Helicobacter pylori infection by detecting the carbon-14 labeled carbon dioxide content in exhaled gas. The increase in numerical value mainly reflects the strength of bacterial urease activity, and the higher the numerical value, the greater the Helicobacter pylori load or bacterial activity in the stomach. But in some patients, even if the values are high, the gastric mucosa may only show mild inflammation; And some low value infected individuals may also have serious lesions such as gastric ulcers. The degree of infection is also influenced by factors such as bacterial virulence and host immune status. In rare cases, abnormally high detection values may be related to non infectious factors such as delayed gastric emptying and insufficient gastric acid secretion. The use of certain drugs such as proton pump inhibitors may lead to false positive results. In addition, numerical interpretation of special populations such as children and pregnant women should be combined with clinical comprehensive judgment, and it is not appropriate to simply evaluate the condition based on numerical values.

It is recommended that Helicobacter pylori infected individuals complete gastroscopy to determine the degree of mucosal damage and follow medical advice to use quadruple therapy for standardized treatment. Serving of individual dishes shall be implemented daily to avoid eating raw and cold food. Breath test shall be rechecked 4 weeks after treatment. Family members should be screened simultaneously to prevent cross infection.