[Helicobacter pylori and gastric acid secretion]

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection leads to profound changes in gastric physiology. Several clinical and animal studies have been performed to clarify the influence of H. pylori on gastric acid secretion. Published data, however, are not consistent throughout. Infection of the gastric antrum, which can be observed mainly in duodenal ulcer patients, increases gastrin release and consecutively acid output. The net effect of corpus and antrum gastritis, such as in patients with gastric cancer, is to decrease acid secretion. Chronic H. pylori infection may finally promote gastric atrophy with irreversibly diminished acid secretion but in earlier stages of this infection eradication of H. pylori normalizes gastric secretory activity.