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Circadian acidity pattern in gastric ulcers at different sites
V Savarino1, G S Mela, P Zentilin
1Dipartimento di Medicina Interna--Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Università di Genova, Italy.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology
|February 1, 1995
Summary
Gastric ulcer patients exhibit lower 24-hour acidity, especially at night, compared to healthy individuals. Acidity increases as ulcers move closer to the pylorus, maintaining a normal evening-to-night rhythm.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Physiology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Benign gastric ulcers are common gastrointestinal conditions.
- Understanding intragastric acidity patterns is crucial for managing gastric ulcers.
- The circadian rhythm of gastric acidity and its relation to ulcer location are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate 24-hour intragastric acidity patterns in gastric ulcer patients.
- To determine if acidity varies with ulcer location within the stomach.
- To assess the presence of a circadian rhythm of pH fluctuations in gastric ulcer disease.
Main Methods:
- Continuous intragastric pH monitoring was performed in 133 gastric ulcer patients and 131 healthy controls.
- Patients were categorized into four subgroups based on ulcer location: above angulus, angularis, antral, and prepyloric.
- pH data was analyzed for 24-hour, day, and night segments.
Main Results:
- Gastric ulcer patients showed significantly lower acidity than controls across all time segments.
- Acidity was particularly reduced during the nocturnal period in ulcer patients.
- A progressive increase in acidity was observed as the ulcer location approached the pylorus.
Conclusions:
- Gastric ulcer patients have significantly reduced circadian acidity, especially at night.
- A gradient of increasing gastric acidity exists from the angulus towards the pylorus.
- The typical circadian rhythm of higher evening than night acidity is preserved in gastric ulcer patients.