Breath Tests in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Dx: A Useful Tool

When available, clinical tests and scales can help clinicians make quick and accurate diagnoses, which in turn lead to quicker treatment and often better prognosis. But sometimes these tests are faulty.

For instance, there is controversy concerning glucose and lactose hydrogen breath tests, which are used to diagnose small intestine bacterial overgrowth and to distinguish patients with irritable bowel syndrome from healthy individuals. Disparities in the sensitivities and specificities of these tests have caused some to question their usefulness.

To help shed some light on this topic, we have invited Dr. Satish Rao to discuss the usefulness of breath tests. Dr. Rao is Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and founding Director of the Digestive Health Center at Georgia Health Sciences University. Dr. Rao’s and his colleague’s work was shared as a poster presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting held in Las Vegas.