ACID-SECRETION AND SERUM GASTRIN IN NORMAL SUBJECTS AND PATIENTS WITHDUODENAL-ULCER - THE ROLE OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI

Objectives: To compare gastric secretory function in patients with duo denal ulcer and in healthy volunteers with and without Helicobacter py lori infection. Methods: Basal acid output, peak acid output, meal-sti mulated acid output, fasting and meal-stimulated serum gastrin concent rations were measured in 136 healthy volunteers (63 H. pylori positive , 73 H. pylori negative) and 52 duodenal ulcer patients, all but one o f whom were H. pylori positive. Results: By multivariate linear regres sion analysis, H. pylori infection was a significant negative predicto r of basal acid output and a positive predictor of fasting and meal-st imulated gastrin concentrations. When compared to truly normal (i.e., H. pylori-negative) control subjects, duodenal ulcer patients had elev ated basal acid output, peak acid output, fasting and meal-stimulated gastrin concentrations. Conclusions: Our results show that in patients with duodenal ulcer disease, hypergastrinemia is largely related to g astric H. pylori infection, whereas acid hypersecretion is due to fact ors other than H. pylori.