A breath test is a non-invasive test that can help diagnose a variety of gastrointestinal disorders and diseases, such as lactose intolerance, fructose intolerance, Helicobacter Pylori infection of the stomach, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Patients will be asked to breathe into a small machine. Then, they will drink a solution of the substrate depending upon what test is being performed. This solution may cause diarrhea or abdominal pain in some patients. After a period of 90 minutes, patients will be asked to breathe into the machine again in order to obtain some readings. They will then wait another 30 minutes and breathe once more for a final reading.
