Do lansoprazole and ranitidine affect the accuracy of the 14C-urea breath test by a pH-dependent mechanism?
Lansoprazole significantly affected the accuracy of the UBT, causing equivocal or false negative results in 61%. High dose ranitidine affected the breath test in only 18%. The ability of these drugs to suppress gastric acid secretion predicted those patients who developed equivocal or false-negative UBTs. The effect on the accuracy of the UBT resolved within 5 days of drug cessation.
The prevalence of hypertension is highly dependent on the definitions and criteria used. We found a prevalence of 4% in overweight children, which is considerably lower than suggested by recent literature (4%-33%). This discrepancy can be explained by our more strict definition of hypertension. However, to draw any conclusions on the prevalence, normal values using the same definition of hypertension should be established. Despite the low prevalence, we recommend measuring blood pressure in all overweight children in view of later cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.