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H. pylori Infection Increases Levels of Exhaled Nitrate
Author(s) -
Lechner Matthias,
Karlseder Alban,
Niederseer David,
Lirk Philipp,
Neher Andreas,
Rieder Josef,
Tilg Herbert
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
helicobacter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.206
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1523-5378
pISSN - 1083-4389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-5378.2005.00345.x
Subject(s) - helicobacter pylori , hydrogen cyanide , gastroenterology , medicine , gastritis , exhaled air , nitrate , helicobacter pylori infection , breath test , chemistry , biology , inorganic chemistry , toxicology , organic chemistry
Background. Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common chronic bacterial infections worldwide. Despite the existence of a breath test for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection, no study has described the composition of volatile compounds, especially the levels of nitrate, in the exhaled air of patients with H. pylori infection. Materials and Methods. The volatile compounds in the exhaled air of 14 patients suffering from H. pylori gastritis and 11 controls were analyzed using proton transfer reaction –mass spectrometry. Gastric biopsy was used to establish diagnosis of current H. pylori infection. Results. Comparing mass spectra between groups, Mass 28 (hydrogen cyanide, HCN) and Mass 64 (hydrogen nitrate, H 2 NO 3 ) were found to be significantly elevated in patients with H. pylori infection. Conclusions. The main result of the present study is that in H. pylori ‐infected patients, levels of exhaled hydrogen nitrate and hydrogen cyanide are found to be significantly elevated. However, further studies are necessary to find out whether the differences in the detected mass spectrum are specific enough to differentiate patients with H. pylori gastritis from healthy controls.