Pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion in acute and chronic gastritis. Histological and secretory correlations.

Basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid secretion were determined in 122 patients with various types of gastritis and in 20 control subjects. All the gastritis patients and the control subjects were adult Chinese. The histological diagnosis was based on gastric biopsy specimens obtained through a fibergastroscope. Statistical analysis of the results in the various histological groups of gastritis and controls indicated that chronic superficial gastritis and chronic atrophic gastritis are not associated with reduced gastric acid secretion in Chinese subjects. In addition, analysis of combinations of the groups of patients with various types of gastritis showed no significant difference in the mean basal acid output but the mean peak acid output of patients with chronic gastritis was significantly higher than that of patients with chronic atrophic gastritis.