Public Funding for Bedfont Scientific Limited

Ammonia given off on exhaled breath can be used as an indicator of Helicobacter Pylori (HPylori) infection. H-Pylori is one of the most common bacterial pathogens in humans and is now recognised as a worldwide problem. It causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and lymphoproliferative disorders and is a major risk factor for gastric cancer1• There are considerable differences in H-pylori prevalence between high and low income countries and, concerning children, the prevalence ranges from less than 10% to more than 80%, respectively2 • In fact, it has been remarked that H-Pylori infection is a better indicator of deprivation than deprivation itself3 • In the UK the prevalence is about 30-40% of the population. There are pockets of higher prevalence associated with depravation2 • At the present time there are number of different tests that are available to test for the presence of H-Pylori infection, although they do not provide instant results and can be invasive. These tests are also expensive to perform and involve sending samples to a laboratory to be tested which is time consuming and expensive. The Bedfont monitor will be used nearside the patient and will provide instant results in a economical monitor with a cheaper cost per test, than other tests currently available, making this testing more accessible and possibly prevent the number of ulcers through earlier detection of H-Pylori. This will in turn reduce the prevalence of ulcers and other gastrointestinal diseases, mentioned above, and cut down on the number of invasive tests that are carried out in the NHS. In 1994 a systematic review of Helicobacter Pylori was undertaken by Professor R A Moore in Oxford. This found that the use of H-Pylori testing as a triage before Endoscopy has been proven to reduce the numbers of endoscopies performed by as much as 25%, and save additional sums of about £10 million per year to the NHS4 •