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Published on: April 29, 2015
Antral gastrin cell hyperfunction in children. A functional and immunocytochemical report
B Annibale1, M Bonamico, G Rindi
1I Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Università degli Studi La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Insights
Antral gastrin cell hyperfunction, a rare condition, can cause bleeding or abdominal pain in children. Diagnosis is crucial as it may present without peptic ulcers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Antral gastrin cell hyperfunction is a rare endocrine disorder.
- Its clinical presentation and functional characteristics in children are not well-documented.
Observation:
- Two pediatric cases presented with melena and abdominal pain, respectively, without peptic ulceration.
- Elevated basal and postprandial gastrin levels indicated gastrin cell hyperfunction.
- Acid hypersecretion was confirmed via basal and pentagastrin-stimulated testing.
Findings:
- Gastrin cell counts were normal, but somatostatin D cell numbers were significantly reduced.
- These findings confirm the biological impact of sustained hypergastrinemia in affected children.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of diagnosing antral gastrin cell hyperfunction in pediatric patients.
- Undiagnosed cases may lead to severe complications like bleeding or nonspecific abdominal symptoms.
Abstract:
Antral gastrin cell hyperfunction is a rare condition, often associated with severe duodenal ulcer disease. In children, clinical and functional characteristics of this syndrome are poorly known. Two cases are described here: one child had melena and the other had moderate abdominal pain, both without peptic ulceration. Basal and postprandial increase of gastrin levels showed a response over the upper normal range, indicating gastrin cell hyperfunction. Acid hypersecretion, both basal and after pentagastrin stimulation, was also found in the two children, confirming the biological effect of their sustained hypergastrinemia. Gastrin cell counts were within the normal range, while the number of somatostatin D cells was significantly reduced. This report stresses the importance of diagnosing antral gastrin cell hyperfunction in children because this unrecognized condition may manifest with serious complications (bleeding) or nonspecific abdominal symptoms.
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