Acid secretion in patients with Chagas' disease

In order to evaluate the acid secretory pattern in patients with Chagas' Disease when compared to control subjects, the following tests were performed; a) Basal Secretion, b) Acid output after increasing doses of I.V. Pentagastrin (1, 2, 4 and 8 micrograms/Kg-h); c) I.V. Pentagastrin (P) plus a background of subthreshold doses of Urecholine (U) (40 micrograms/Kg-h); d) Calcium infusion test (4 mg of Ca++/Kg-h). The histological aspects of the antral and fundic mucosa was studied on 11 CD patients through samples obtained during gastroscopy. Basal, Pentagastrin stimulated acid secretion and Ca++ stimulated secretion were statistically lower in CD patients when compared to controls. Association of P + U resulted in a higher acid response in 4 out of 8 CD patients but, the mean result of the group was not statistically significant. These results suggest that the lower basal and stimulated acid response of CD patients is related to a decreased sensitivity of the parietal cell. This lower sensitivity is probably dependent on vagal blockage as a consequence of the intramural nerve destruction. The possibility of a smaller stomach and consequently small parietal cell population could not be ruled out in this investigation. However this possibility seems very unprobable to the authors.