The doctor can use the endoscope to take photos of ulcers or remove a tiny piece of tissue to view under a microscope. If an ulcer is found, the doctor will test the patient for H. pylori . H. pylori is diagnosed through blood, breath, and tissue tests. Blood tests are most common. They detect antibodies to H. pylori bacteria.
Blood is taken at the doctor's office through a finger stick.
Breath tests are mainly used after treatment to see if treatment worked, but they can be used in diagnosis, too. The test is called a urea breath test. In the doctor's office, the patient drinks a solution of urea that contains a special carbon atom. If H. pylori is present, it breaks down the urea, releasing the carbon. The blood carries the carbon to the lungs, where the patient exhales it.