Who should take.pdf

Vol. 4, No. 2, 2004 ? The Journal of Applied Research266 years, 201 in patients aged 5 to 18 years, and 131 in patients older than 18 years. Overall, 45 breath samples (12%) were considered unsatisfactory. Patients younger than 5 years (38%) had a sig- nificantly higher (P0.001) number of unsatisfactory breath samples than the other 2 age groups (5-18 years old [10%], 18 years old [7%]). Of the 328 satisfactory BHTs, 162 (49%) were posi- tive for either lactose intolerance (90%) or small bowel bacterial overgrowth (10%). The likelihood in obtaining a positive BHT was significantly (P0.001) higher if the referring physi- cian was a gastroenterologist. Our analysis also suggests a potential cost savings in having gastroenterologists screen patients for suspected lactose intolerance or bacterial overgrowth prior to ordering breath hydrogen test- ing. Conclusions: The nasal prong technique is a feasible method of performing the BHT at home in children younger than 5 years of age. In the very young (5 Who Should Request a Breath Hydrogen Test? A Six-Year Feasibility, Sensitivity of Clinical Suspicion and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Ding-You Li, MD, PhD Yvonne Barnes R.E. Thompson, PhD* Carmen Cuffari, MD Departments of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and *Biostatistics, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland KEY WORDS: breath hydrogen test- ing, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, lactose intolerance, general practition- er, gastroenterologist ABSTRACT Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using an at home breath-sampling tech- nique in patients referred for breath hydrogen testing, and to determine the likelihood for a positive breath hydro- gen test (BHT) based on whether the ordering physician is a gastroenterolo- gist or general practitioner. Methods: Breath samples were collected via a nasal prong technique and stored in a collection kit. The breath samples were then analyzed using the Quintron m