[General and local humoral immunity in patients with peptic ulcer]

Systemic and local humoral immunity and nonspecific defense factors were investigated in 88 patients with duodenal peptic ulcers and 18 patients with gastric ulcers. In acute conditions, nonspecific defence was depressed and blood IgG level was increased in peptic ulcer patients. An increase in complement titre, C3 and lysozyme, and a decrease in IgG were recorded after treatment, although normal levels were never attained. Salivary, gastric-juice and duodenal-content secretory IgA levels were characteristically increased during acute phases of peptic ulcer; salivary IgA declined after treatment. The disturbance of nonspecific defence, systemic and local humoral immunity, demonstrated in patients with peptic ulcers, may be regarded as a possible ulcerogenic mechanism.