DUHS launches test to diagnose H. Pylori.

KARACHI -- The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) has introduced urea breath test, an effective, easy and cost-efficient way to diagnose helicobacter, a type of bacteria more commonly known as H. Pylori.

The DUHS diagnostic test will be available at 51 testing facilities in Karachi including the main Dow lab at Ojha campus, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Quetta at low rates.

'The people of Sindh and Balochistan will benefit from the facility. The test is 98 per cent effective,' said Vice Chancellor DUHS Prof Muhammad Saeed Quraishy at a gathering held for the test's launch.

Eighty per cent of the population in Pakistan was affected by H. pylori for which no effective test had been available that had immediate result, he added.

'Research has shown that certain types of H. pylori also increase the risk of gastric cancer. Late diagnosis can lead to gastric ulcers. Studies suggest that more than 90 per cent of small intestine ulcers are caused by H. pylori. Hence, it is needed to be diagnosed at an early stage,' he said.

As eating habits and consumption of unhealthy foods in Pakistan were increasing, the cases of gastrointestinal diseases especially H pylori are also on the rise, he added.

Part of the event was a briefing on the diagnostic...