ELEVATED CHOLECYSTOKININ CONCENTRATIONS IN PLASMA IN CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT ABDOMINAL-PAIN

The objective of the present study was to measure plasma concentration s of the gastrointestinal hormones gastrin, somatostatin and cholecyst okinin in plasma of children with recurrent abdominal pain, since thes e hormones affect gastrointestinal function. Forty-four children (7-16 years old) with recurrent abdominal pain and 36 control children (mat ched for age and sex) participated in the study. In a blood sample col lected after an overnight fast, gastrin, somatostatin and cholecystoki nin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. The children wit h recurrent abdominal pain had higher plasma cholecystokinin levels (p < 0.001) than the controls. Whether or not this aberration is related to the clinical symptoms of children with recurrent abdominal pain re mains to be established.