Urea breath test

It’s a test to see if you’ve got a peptic ulcer.

The urea breath test (UBT) checks for the presence of a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which causes inflammation and ulcers in the stomach.

For the test, patients swallow a capsule containing urea, a chemical made up of nitrogen and carbon.

If H. pylori is present in the stomach, the urea is broken up and turned into carbon dioxide and excreted in the breath.

Samples of breath are collected and the carbon dioxide is measured.

When the H. pylori is treated by antibiotics, the test changes from positive to negative.