Evaluation of gastric function in rheumatoid disease

ABSTRACT

The present study was designed to study gastric secretory function through analysis of the interrelation between plasma gastrin, gastric acid secretion and gastric microflora in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study included 70 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, divided into three groups according to the line of treatment. All patients were subjected to full clinical and laboratory investigations, Gastrin hormone assay in serum, microbiological investigations included estimation of basal gastric acid secretion, maximal and peak acid secretion after stimulation by pentagastrin and culture of saliva and gastric juice samples before and after stimulation by pentagastrin.The results showed that plasma gastrin levels correlate inversely with the acid secretory state and patients with basal achlorhydria or very low gastric acidity had microorganisms in their stomach where the patients with acid secretion in the basal gastric samples had a negative bacterial culture