Current recommendations from the American College of Gastroenterology for management of H. pylori were released in 2007 and updated in 2017. Guidelines no longer recommend serum antibody testing.
American Society for Clinical Pathology Choosing Wisely guidelines state, “Do not request serology for H. pylori. Use the stool antigen or breath tests instead. Serologic evaluation of patients to determine the presence/absence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is no longer considered clinically useful. Alternative noninvasive testing methods (e.g., the urea breath test and stool antigen test) exist for detecting the presence of the bacteria and have demonstrated higher clinical utility, sensitivity, and specificity. Additionally, both the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterology Association recommend either the breath or stool antigen tests as the preferred testing modalities for active H. pylori infection.
Based on the above recommendations, effective November 4, 2019, H. pylori antibody testing (IgG, IgA, and/or IgM) is no longer available through Parkview Health Labs. Alternate tests for H. pylori testing include: