The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of the breath test in monitoring Helicobacter Pylori eradication in Brazzaville.

Patients and Methods: we carried out a cross-sectional analytical study over a nine-month period at the Brazzaville University Hospital and Bio-santé laboratory, and in a médical analysis laboratory in Brussels. Patients over 18 years of age with H. pylori infection who had received treatment for its eradication were included. Diagnosis was made by urease testing of gastric biopsies and/or stool antigen testing. Socio-demographic, diagnostic and evolutionary variables were studied.

Results: Our sample comprised 30 patients with a mean age of 39.6 ± 13.7 years, extremes of 22 and 72 years, and a sex ratio of 0.7. Compared with fecal antigen testing, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the carbon-13 urea breath test were 100%, 72%, 41.7% and 100% respectively. Accuracy was 65%.

Conclusion: The labelled urea breath test is a reliable test that can be used in Congo for post-therapeutic monitoring of Helicobacter pylori infection. However, when interpretation must be conducted outside the country, challenges related to its cost and the time required to obtain results are factors that limit its feasibility.