Study of gastrointestinal polypeptides controlling gastric acid secretion in patients with primary antibody...

BACKGROUND: gastric abnormalities are a common feature in patients with primary antibody deficiency. The most important problem is the high incidence of stomach cancer found in these patients. Chronic atrophic gastritis with pernicious anemia is also a common finding that predisposes to gastric adenocarcinoma. The aim of the present study was to identify factors predictive of high risk for developing gastric cancer in patients with primary antibody deficiency. PATIENTS AND METHODS: we studied gastric hormones (gastrin, somatostatin and gastrin-releasing peptide, GRP) in 47 patients (23 children and 24 adults) with primary antibody deficiency. In accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, patients were diagnosed as having X-linked agammaglobulinemia (Bruton disease) in 13 cases, common variable immunodeficiency in 28, and hypogammaglobulinemia with hyperIgM in 6. Gastric biopsy was performed in 22 patients (16 children and 6 adults). Hormone determinations were carried out by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: baseline serum gastrin levels were normal or increased compared with controls, but the response to stimulation with a hyperproteic diet was delayed in 18 patients and lower than in controls in 7. In 4 adult patients, all with pernicious anemia, gastric biopsy revealed chronic atrophic gastritis involving the stomach corpus and antrum (type B gastritis). The absence of a normal response of gastrin secretion to stimulation with a hyperproteic diet may be explained by this finding. Serum somatostatin and GRP levels were higher than in controls. No correlations were found between these findings and patient age, type of immunodeficiency or duration of clinical manifestations.