Children now eligible for screening test for bacterium

February 24, 2012 in Medications

(HealthDay) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded approval for a breath test that screens for a common ulcer-causing germ, to include children aged 3 years to 17.

The bacterium causes stomach inflammation (gastritis) and ulcers, and increases an infected person's risk of and a certain form of lymphoma. In a news release, the FDA said the BreathTak UBT test, approved for adults in 1996, is now sanctioned for children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than two-thirds of the world's population is infected with the bacterium, abbreviated H. pylori, but most infected people never have symptoms, the FDA said.

The BreathTek UBT test was newly approved based on results from a multi-location clinical trial involving 176 children, the agency said.

The test is produced by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, headquartered in Rockville, Md.

More information: To learn more about H. Pylori, visit the CDC.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Medications created 12 hours ago | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Global recommendations on child medicine

Transparent information on the evidence supporting global recommendations on paediatric medicines should be easily accessible in order to help policy makers decides on what drugs to include in their national drug lists, according ...

Medications created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Analgesics prescribed more heavily to women than to men, study finds

Regardless of pain, social class or age, a woman is more likely to be prescribed pain-relieving drugs. A study published in Gaceta Sanitaria (Spanish health scientific journal) affirms that this phenomenon is inf ...

Medications created 21 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Breakup of physician, drug company relationship could improve health care, cut cost

A new report suggests that improved health care and significant reductions in drug costs might be attained by breaking up the age-old relationship between physicians and drug company representatives who promote the newest, ...

Medications created May 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

FDA has safety concerns on Merck insomnia drug

Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking.

Medications created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Study says empathy plays a key role in moral judgments

Is it permissible to harm one to save many? Those who tend to say "yes" when faced with this classic dilemma are likely to be deficient in a specific kind of empathy, according to a report published in the scientific journal ...

Phthalates: Study links chemicals widely found in plastics, processed food to elevated blood pressure in children, teens

Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the ...

If you can remember it, you can remember it wrong

(Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo ...

B vitamins could delay dementia

(Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. ...

Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.

Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...