Do you need to drink water when taking oral urea carbon-13 capsules?

Oral urea C13 capsules are usually taken with warm water. The specific details are as follows:

Urea C13 capsules are primarily used for detecting Helicobacter pylori. They can be taken with warm water, and there is no strict requirement regarding the amount of water consumed. Since Helicobacter pylori contains urease, it breaks down the urea C13 capsule into C13-labeled carbon dioxide and water. After ingestion, patients are required to breathe into a gas collection bottle so that their exhaled breath can be tested. Half an hour later, another breath sample is collected. By comparing the levels of carbon dioxide in the two samples, if the value increases by more than 4, it indicates the presence of a Helicobacter pylori infection.

After being infected with Helicobacter pylori, patients may experience symptoms such as abdominal bloating, nausea, and acid reflux. It is important to seek timely medical treatment at a hospital, using medications such as clarithromycin capsules or amoxicillin capsules. Self-diagnosis and self-treatment should be avoided to prevent missing the optimal treatment window, which could lead to worsening of the condition and more serious health consequences. During treatment, precautions should also be taken to prevent transmission—for example, avoid mouth-to-mouth feeding, which could spread the infection to others.