The Cost Of A SIBO Hydrogen Breath Test Kit

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SIBO Hydrogen Breath Test

Modern innovations have revolutionized the medical field and greatly improved service delivery. Nowadays, you don’t have to physically avail yourself at the hospital to get help. You can consult a professional doctor in the comfort of your home through virtual communication. They can advise you on the steps to take and which medication to buy based on the diagnosis. The availability of self-test kits has made it even better. You can buy one and test yourself at home. Some will give you immediate results while others require that you send it to a lab for further analysis then the results get sent back to you. Here are more details concerning the SIBO Hydrogen breath test kit cost among other things.

What is it about?

SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. As the name indicates, it is a condition that is caused by the irregular growth of bacteria in the small intestine. 

Bacteria can be classified into two broad groups namely, good and bad. The bad bacteria are the ones that usually cause common illnesses while the good ones promote good health as long as they are at regular levels. 

If they surpass the standard level they start causing discomfort hence antibiotics are required to reduce them. The test kit helps diagnose the condition and so makes it possible to take the appropriate action.

How does it work?

The results are obtained by testing the presence of hydrogen in one’s breath. For it to be more effective you have to first go without eating food for about 12 hrs. 

This is to ensure that no food is left in the stomach which might otherwise give false results. After the time has elapsed you have to consume something with lots of sugar. Glucose solution is usually used. 

When it reaches the intestines the bacteria are bound to work on the sugar and as a result release hydrogen. Do the testing at certain intervals. If presence of hydrogen is recorded before 90 minutes has elapsed then this is considered an indication of SIBO. See this link to read more on how the test works and the different kind of tests available https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-to-know-about-hydrogen-breath-tests.

What are the advantages?

One of the main advantages of using this method is that it is simple. After acquiring the test kit all you have to do is follow the instructions. 

The instructions are straight forward hence are easy to follow. For effectiveness, make sure that you strictly adhere to all of them, especially, the preparation guidelines. The guidelines might differ from one clinic to another. 

Another advantage is that it is non-invasive. This means that it doesn’t involve any bodily penetration like injecting yourself or making an incision. During the test, all you have to do is blow according to the specified intervals. 

The whole process might take two to three hours but this is less than the total time that you would have used if you were to travel to the hospital for a procedure.

Using the home self-test kit is more affordable than having to pay for the test at the hospital. It also gives you more control and allows you to do the test without rushing.

What are the downsides?

Although it is a great package it also has its downsides. For example, it can result in false positives and negatives. 

During the analysis of the results it is assumed that short response time is a positive indication of SIBO because it takes more than 90 minutes for the sugars to reach and get digested by the bacteria found in the large intestine in a normal situation. 

The false results arise when an individual has a faster or slower movement of food in the digestive system than the standard rate. Besides that, another downside is that there is no clear cutoff point for positive or negative result. Click here to read more about hydrogen breath test.

Conclusion

Overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine is a condition that is often misdiagnosed and can cause the patient a great deal of suffering. It is often mistaken for other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and can go for a long time without treatment. Thankfully, the SIBO hydrogen breath test kit makes it easy for you to diagnose the condition and seek the right treatment. It is affordable and easy to use with the instructions being straightforward. If you decide to get one make sure that it is in good condition and hasn’t been tampered with.

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