Brief Article
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Jun 15, 2012; 3(3): 80-84
Published online Jun 15, 2012. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v3.i3.80
Gender-associated differences in urea breath test for Helicobacter pylori infection referrals and results among dyspeptic patients
Menachem Moshkowitz, Noya Horowitz, Anat Beit-Or, Zamir Halpern, Erwin Santo
Menachem Moshkowitz, Noya Horowitz, Zamir Halpern, Erwin Santo, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Affiliated to the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel
Anat Beit-Or, Maccabi Health Services, Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel
Author contributions: Moshkowitz M, Halpern Z and Santo E designed the research; Moshkowitz M, Beit-Or A and Horowitz N performed the research; Horowitz N performed analytic tools and analyzed data; Moshkowitz M and Horowitz N wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Menachem Moshkowitz, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel. moshkov7@gmail.com
Telephone: +972-3-6974280 Fax: +972-3-6974622
Received: March 1, 2012
Revised: May 23, 2012
Accepted: June 12, 2012
Published online: June 15, 2012
Abstract

AIM: To verify whether there is a gender difference in the 13C-urea breath test results in a large cohort.

METHODS: The test results of dyspeptic patients referred for 13C-urea breath testing between January and December, 2007 were evaluated. Testing was carried out at the health insurance organization branches and evaluated at a central laboratory in Israel.

RESULTS: Of a total of 28 746 test results, 18 122 (63.04%) were from females and 10 624 (36.95%) from males. Overall, 10 188 (35.4%) results [expressed as delta over baseline (DOB)] were positive (DOB 13C > 5), 18,326 (63.7%) were negative (DOB 13C < 3.5) and 232 (0.8%) were borderline (DOB 13C 3.5-5). There was a significant difference between the total positive rate among females and males (34.8% vs 37.2%, respectively, P = 0.0003). The mean test value was increased by approximately 10 units for females compared to males (P < 0.01) and this difference was consistent for all age groups (i.e., between 10-80 years of age, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: More females were referred to 13C-urea breath testing. More males had positive results. The mean test values were significantly higher among females of all age groups, possibly representing an increased bacterial load among females and suggesting gender-associated differences in Helicobacter pylori host interactions.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, Urea breath test, Gender, Dyspepsia