The influence of sham feeding on gastric acid and pepsin secretion in the Chinese with duodenal ulcer and liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND. This study was conducted to evaluate gastric acid and pepsin output in the Chinese patients with liver cirrhosis and duodenal ulcers. METHODS. In a period of one year and three months, we prospectively assayed the acid and pepsin responses to sham feeding in 10 healthy males, 20 males with duodenal ulcers, and 11 males with liver cirrhosis. RESULTS. Although basal and sham feeding stimulated acid outputs were higher in duodenal ulcer patients (2.7 +/- 0.3 and 3.7 +/- 0.3 mEq/h, mean +/- SEM) than in normal subjects (1.6 +/- 0.4 and 2.9 +/- 0.6 mEq/h) and in patients with liver cirrhosis (1.8 +/- 0.4 and 2.1 +/- 0.7 mEq/h), it did not reach statistical significance. Both basal and sham feeding stimulated pepsin outputs were significantly higher in duodenal ulcer patients (11.2 +/- 2.1 and 9.5 +/- 2.2 mg/h) than in normal subjects (2.4 +/- 0.5 and 4.3 +/- 1.2 mg/h) and in patients with liver cirrhosis (3.6 +/- 1.4 and 3.9 +/- 1.2 mg/h) (p <0.05). The serum gastrin and pepsinogen I concentration in basal and sham feeding conditions demonstrated no statistically significant difference among three groups. CONCLUSIONS. Basal and sham feeding stimulated acid outputs in the Chinese were lower in normal subjects and duodenal ulcer patients as compared with those in the Occidentals. High basal pepsin output may play an important role in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcers in the Chinese.