Serum gastrin in patients with various types of chronic gastritis.

Fasting serum gastrin was determined in 35 Chinese patients with various types of chronic gastritis and in 23 Chinese control subjects. The mean (+/- S.D.) fasting serum gastrin levels for 13 patients with chronic atrophic gastritis, 16 patients with chronic gastritis and six patients with acute-on-chronic gastritis were 32.1 (+/- 38.9) pg./ml., 36.1 (+/- 23.2) pg./ml. and 33.7 (+/- 19.4) pg./ml., respectively. The mean (+/- S.D.) fasting serum gastrin levels for the whole gastritis group (35 patients) and the control group were 34.2 (+/- 28.8) pg./ml. and 24.6 (+/- 13.7) pg./ml., respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the mean basal serum gastrin levels of the three gastritis groups did not differ significantly from control subjects and with each other.