Relationship between basal serum gastrin concentrations and gastric acid secretion in peptic ulcer disease

In large groups of control subjects and gastric, prepyloric, and duodenal ulcer patients basal gastrin concentration as basal and maximal acid output was measured. All groups had equal basal gastrin concentrations, except gastric ulcer patients, who had higher values (p less than 0.001). A significant negative correlation was found between acid output and basal gastrin in controls and prepyloric ulcer patients. In duodenal ulcer a similar correlation was seen only after exclusion of gastrin and basal acid hypersecretors, and in gastric ulcer no correlation could be found. The characteristic pattern for gastrin and acid secretion was in prepyloric ulcer patients almost like that in controls, whereas gastric ulcer patients seemed more heterogeneous. In duodenal ulcer differences may be explained by a defective feedback inhibition of acid.