AGE-DEPENDENT HYPERGASTRINEMIA IN CHILDREN WITH HELICOBACTER-PYLORI GASTRITIS - EVIDENCE OF EARLY ACQUISITION OF INFECTION

Acute Helicobacter pylori associated gastritis causes achlorhydria, a powerful stimulus to gastrin secretion. If H pylori infection is acqui red primarily in early childhood, then the degree of hypergastrinaemia in seropositive children should be age dependent. Anti-Helicobacter a ntibodies and fasting gastrin concentrations were measured in 439 chil dren aged 4 to 13 years attending hospital for routine day case surger y not connected with any gastrointestinal disorder. Thirty per cent we re seropositive for H pylori. There was an inverse relationship betwee n the fasting gastrin concentration and age; the mean fasting gastrin in children aged 4-5 years, 155 ng/l, was significantly higher than th at seen in children aged 12-13 years, 90 ng/l. The more noticeable hyp ergastrinaemia seen in young children with H pylori associated gastrit is may reflect achlorhydria associated with acute H pylori infection a nd suggests that this is primarily acquired in early childhood.