Take a Deep Breath

Helicobacter pylori infection is the most common cause of permanent inflammation of the stomach lining and is responsible for various other malignant diseases of the stomach and gullet. H. pylori is transmitted directly from person to person, through saliva, for example. Most infected people have no noticeable symptoms, but long-term effects can occur and even affect the physical growth of children. For this reason, a simple, quick, safe, and accurate method of detecting H. pylori is essential for diagnosis and treatment.

Our customer, Beijing Richen-Force Science & Technology from Beijing, China, uses the 13C-urea breath test for the diagnosis. It is a non-invasive, safe, accurate and specific method of detection for H. pylori infection. With the help of special narrow-band infrared filters, carbon isotopes can be discerned in the exhaled air. By integrating customer-specific pyroelectric detectors from InfraTec with high detectivity, the detection sensitivity of 13CO2 can be increased, the measurement accuracy improved, and finally, more precise values can be determined – at a much lower cost than with the mass spectrometers commonly used. This is an excellent requirement for the expansion to general medical examinations and applications.

In Germany and other industrial nations, the number of new infections is decreasing from year to year. In addition to a healthy diet, this is also attributable to affordable diagnostics and good medical developments.