[Evan79]

Hello,Can anyone help interpret my HBT results for Bacterial overgrowth. Doc said results were abnormal, and gave me a somewhat high dose of Rifaximin, but would like to understand them a little better. Thanks!Evan

 

[Kathleen M.]

Normally people have a long period of no hydrogen (or some low background level) and once the bolus of fermentable stuff they gave you gets to the top of the colon you get a huge increase in hydrogen (assuming you have hydrogen producing bacteria and most people do, so some normal people never get the one peak).People with SIBO get a early smaller peak when the stuff hits the bacteria in the small intestine and then a second larger peak when the remainder hits the colon. (there is so much fermentable sugar even with a lot of bacteria in the small intestine a lot gets through to the colon).That antibiotic is a pretty standard treatment, is the dose out of the usual range?

Higher than normal doses of rifaximin (1200 mg/day for 7 days) were superior to standard lower doses (800 or 400 mg/day)

http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestina...rowth/page6.htmSo the dose is higher than what they use for food poisoning types of infections.Why do you not trust that the doctor found SIBO when they say they do?.

 

[Evan79]

Thanks for the response! No I definitely believe I have an overgrowth, I was just looking for more details on the data from my test graph. Doc said I would need a little bit extra Rifaximin (1200mg for 10 days.) It looks like it says I hit 21 ppm H2 at 30 minutes, but I am not sure what that indicates as well as the rest of the graph. Do you know how this works, and what is considered a high level? Thanks for your time.Evan

 

[Kathleen M.]

I don't know much about which numbers mean something (other than higher numbers would mean more bacteria).And I don't know how differences in how the test is done (which fermentable sugar they use) may effect what the absolute numbers are.I think most of the test is about timing rather than numbers and I assume the doc probably has a feel for how their numbers at their lab pan out when it comes to treatment. For some tests there is some lab to lab variability (either test done differently or different equpment for analyzing and protocols) so usually if the doc is comparing to other numbers from that lab that is usually best.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_breath_test has some general numbers, and I'm not sure how much timing (when in the two hour window) the positive peak shows up effects the how we should treat.I don't think 10 days of antibiotics seems something that would be so unusual as to think your doctor doesn't have any idea what they are doing.

I'd rather have a doctor that will adjust treatments based on their experience, but that is me.