Medical Health Encyclopedia

Dyspepsia may also occur with gastritis, stomach cancer, or as a side effect of certain drugs, including NSAIDs, antibiotics, iron, corticosteroids, theophylline, and calcium blockers used to treat high blood pressure.

Noninvasive Tests for Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleeding.

When ulcers are suspected, the doctor administers tests to detect any bleeding. They include a rectal exam, a complete blood count, and a fecal occult blood test (FOBT). The FOBT tests for hidden (called occult) blood in stools. Typically, the patient is asked to supply up to six stool specimens in a specially prepared package. A small quantity of feces is smeared on specially treated paper, which reacts to hydrogen peroxide. If blood is present, the paper turns blue.

Noninvasive Screening Tests for H. Pylori

Simple blood, breath, and stool tests can now detect H. Pylori with a fairly high degree of accuracy. It is not entirely clear, however, which individuals should be screened for H. pylori.

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Candidates for Screening. Some doctors currently test for H. pylori only in individuals with dyspepsia who also have high-risk conditions, such as the following:

• Strong indications for ulcers, such as weight loss, anemia, or indications of bleeding.
• History of active ulcers.
• Risk factors for stomach cancer or other complications from ulcers.

Smokers and those who experience regular and persistent pain on an empty stomach may also be good candidates for screening tests. Some doctors argue that testing for H. pylori may be beneficial patients with dyspepsia who are regular NSAID users. In fact, given the possible risk for stomach cancer in H. pylori infected people with dyspepsia, some experts now recommend that any patient with dyspepsia that lasts longer than four weeks should be given blood tests for H. pylori. This is a subject of considerable debate, however.