Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41888731›Full record

SynthesisBMC gastroenterology2026

Efficacy of swab-based RUT in detecting H. pylori infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abdelaziz A Awad, Mohamed A Aldemerdash, Basma M El-Khalifa, Ahmed Emara, Ali M Othman, Manar A Balouz, Youssef Narouz, Doaa A Elmarzouky, Amira A Albawri, Yara M Harash and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC gastroenterology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Abdelaziz A AwadFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. awad.abdelaziz.0505@gmail.com.
Mohamed A AldemerdashFaculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.
Basma M El-KhalifaDepartment of Clinical Oncology and nuclear medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt. mohammedbasma13@gmail.com.
Ahmed EmaraFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ali M OthmanFaculty of Medicine, Kafr Elsheikh University, Kafr Elsheikh, Egypt.
Manar A BalouzFaculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt.
Youssef NarouzFaculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Doaa A ElmarzoukyFaculty of General Surgery and Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
Amira A AlbawriFaculty of Medicine, University of Science and Technology, Hawban, Yemen.
Yara M HarashFaculty of Medicine, Hama University, Hama, Syria.
Ahmed M ZaghloulFaculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed BahnasyHaematology and Oncology Department, Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
Ahmed GadHennepin County Medical Centre, Minneapolis, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram-negative bacterium found in the gastric mucosa of humans. In this systematic review, our objective was to assess the diagnostic performance of the swab technique in detecting H. pylori infection.

methodsWe followed the PRISMA guidelines and searched four databases for studies comparing the efficacy of swabs or sweeping techniques in detecting H. pylori infection. Outcomes were diagnostic accuracy measures, such as sensitivity and specificity.

resultsFour studies with 658 patients were included. Compared to conventional diagnosis methods, overall sensitivity was 0.93, with a 95% CI (0.85; 0.97). A confusion matrix was used to summarize the previously mentioned results. Gastric swabs reported a high sensitivity of 93.7%, with a high number of true positives = 285. However, test specificity is moderate (74.1%).

conclusionThese results indicate that gastric swab-based RUT may be helpful as an initial diagnostic test, specifically if a biopsy is difficult. More studies with large sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

Gastric MucosaHelicobacter InfectionsHelicobacter pyloriSpecimen HandlingHumansSensitivity and SpecificityHelicobacter pyloriRapid urease testSwabSweeping

Identifiers

PMID41888731
PMCPMC13064230

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.