SERUM PEPSINOGEN-I IN CHILDHOOD HELICOBACTER-PYLORI GASTRITIS - ITS RELATION TO MUCOSAL PEPTIC ACTIVITY

Serum pepsinogen I (PG I) levels are raised in children with Helicobac ter pylori gastritis. To ascertain if this is due to increased product ion or to increased secretion of pepsin by chief cells, we measured mu cosal peptic activity in antrum and gastric body mucosal homogenates a nd correlated it to serum PC I levels in 122 children with and without H. pylori gastritis. In patients infected with H. pylori, mucosal pep tic activity was decreased when compared to control and to children wi th non H. pylori gastritis. Serum PG I levels were increased (P <0.001 ) and were inversely related to mucosal peptic activity (P <0.01). The se findings suggest that H. pylori can promote a leakage of pepsinogen into the circulation.