GastroPanel
First line diagnostic test for dyspepsia in Primary Care
First line diagnostic test for dyspepsia in Primary Care
Dyspepsia is a universal clinical problem affecting 20-40% of the population and carrying an economic impact of £500m per year. Symptoms related to the stomach account for around 4% of all GP consultations and while half of these appointments are for functional (non-ulcer) dyspepsia, functional gastrointestinal disorders constitute 40% of all gastrointestinal referrals.
Following referral for endoscopy, the diagnostic yield is very low with 50-70% of Gastroscopies identifying no pathology. At a time when there is an ever increasing burden on endoscopy resources there is a growing need for tests that help manage patients with gastric symptoms in Primary Care.
What is GastroPanel?
GastroPanel is a non-invasive blood test which helps GPs and health care professionals to make a diagnosis of High-Risk Gastritis, H. pylori infection, hypo- / achlorhydria, and the associated risks in a Primary Care setting. This enables the physician to gain a better understanding of the patient's complaint before referring to a specilist.
GastroPanel is a test for four individual stomach biomarkers which when measured together allow the physician to identify certain diseases, determining the possible need for further assessment and investigation such as Endoscopy.
The four highly specific assays measure levels of Pepsinogen I and II, amidated Gastrin 17 and Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies from a single blood sample. Results of the four assays are then fed into GastroSoft - a user-friendly software algorithm - to generate a patient-specific diagnosis and report. Using GastroPanel GPs can make a reliable diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection, risk of peptic ulcer disease, and importantly, diagnosis of atrophic gastritis and the risk of neoplastic degeneration in the gastric mucosa.
How does GastroPanel change day to day management of dyspepsia?
When patients present with dyspepsia the symptoms are often non-specific, making the diagnosis very difficult and heavily reliant on family history, lifestyle and clinical assessment. GastroPanel is a very effective tool that provides details about the structure and function of the gastric mucosa, and identifies high-risk Gastritis without the need for gastroscopy. By using GastroPanel first, the GP and patient are presented with three options to consider, directed by a simple algorithm - Manage in Primary Care, Treat, or Refer for Endoscopy.
Request the GastroPanel® blood test for patients with symptoms of dyspepsia and receive a risk assessment and accurate profile of your patient’s stomach health, before referral for gastroscopy.
What Risk Factors does GastroPanel identify?
The two most important risk factors of gastric cancer are Helicobacter pylori infection and atrophic gastritis (AG). GastroPanel accurately diagnoses both conditions through a simple blood test. Standalone Helicobacter pylori testing does not detect atrophic gastritis which is caused by H. pylori infection or an autoimmune disease. In addition, some H. pylori tests such as the Urea Breath Test and stool antigen test may give up to 50 % false negative results for Helicobacter pylori infection if the patient has a) Atrophic Gastritis, b) MALT lymphoma, c) bleeding peptic ulcer disease, or d) if the patient is currently receiving antibiotics or PPIs.
The test panel consists of four assays:
- Pepsinogen I ELISA
- Pepsinogen II ELISA
- Gastrin-17 ELISA
- Helicobacter pylori IgG ELISA
- Reliably detect high-risk gastritis and H. pylori infection;
- Detect asymptomatic Atrophic Gastritis, regardless of the presence of H. pylori infection;
- Find patients with hypochlorhydric (low acid) stomach;
- Identify and refer patients who need gastroscopy;
- Find patients with a healthy gastric mucosa.
- Gastric cancer (sequel to corpus and/or antral atrophy);
- Achlorhydria or Hypochlorhydria;
- Malabsorption of vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and some medicines (corpus atrophy);
- Colonisation of the stomach by microbes.
