HISTAMINE CONTENT OF THE OXYNTIC MUCOSA FROM DUODENAL-ULCER PATIENTS - EFFECT OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI ERADICATION

The histamine concentration of the oxyntic mucosa was determined in He licobacter pylori-positive patients with duodenal ulcer before and aft er antimicrobial therapy and in H. pylori-negative subjects. Determina tion of serum gastrin was also performed in duodenal ulcer patients be fore and after H. pylori eradication. The histamine content of the oxy ntic mucosa was lower in patients with duodenal ulcer than in H. pylor i-negative subjects, but it increased after H. pylori eradication. Con versely, in patients in whom therapy failed to eradicate the microorga nism, the histamine content remained unchanged. Serum gastrin levels f ell after microorganism eradication, and the percentage of this fall w as correlated with the percentage of increase in gastric histamine. In conclusion, our findings suggest that abnormalities of histamine stor e present in duodenal ulcer patients might be a feature of H. pylori i nfection.