A hydrogen breath test (or HBT) is used as a clinical medical diagnosis for people with irritable bowel syndrome, and common food intolerances. The test is simple, non-invasive, and is performed after a short period of fasting (typically 8–12 hours). Even though the test is normally known as a "Hydrogen Breath Test" some physicians may also test for methane in addition to hydrogen. Many studies have shown that some patients (approximately 35% or more) do not produce hydrogen but actually produce methane. Some patients produce a combination of the two gases. Other patients don't produce any gas, which are known as "Non-Responders"; it has not been yet determined whether they may actually produce another gas. In addition to hydrogen and methane, some facilities also utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) in the patients' breath to determine if the breath samples that are being analyzed are not contaminated (either with room air or bronchial dead space air).
Testing may be administered at hospitals, clinics, physician offices or if the physician/laboratory has the proper equipment and breath collection kit, patients can collect samples at home to then be mailed in for analysis.
Many testing kits are emerging in the breath testing market claiming to be able to collect proper samples and providing analytical results to individuals collecting samples at home and sending to laboratories for analysis. Consumers are always urged to call the manufacturers of these test kits and do their research to ensure that the test they are performing is being collected and analyzed properly. There is currently a patented breath-collection test kit offered by a U.S. manufacturer which was designed and patented for the proper collection and storage of breath samples. Proper collection and analysis of samples is imperative in the breath hydrogen testing realm. Some testing kits indicate a patients can blow into a test tube with a straw and close the top in a predetermined amount of time for proper storage and analysis; this method of breath collection for a hydrogen breath test should be confirmed as this means for collection was originally designed to collect a sample from a labels h.pylori breath test which works well for this method of collection, however other individuals which have performed this method for the hydrogen breath test have had to repeat tests and/or received inconclusive results. This could be due to improper analysis on instrumentation, improper collection from patients, or the test collection method.
Read more about Hydrogen Breath Test: Conditions
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