Study of some hormonal aspects in acute and chronic peptic ulcer

ABSTRACT

The role played by some gastrointestinal hormones [Gastrin and Bombesin] in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease was studied in 50 patients with peptic ulcer diagnosed endoscopically,5 oesophageal, 6 gastric, 39 dudenal and 20 control subjects. Fasting serum gastrin was elevated in gastric ulcer group as compared to controls and this was due to a reflection of the generally lower rate of acid secretion in these patients. Oesophageal ulcer patients also had higher levels compared to controls, but the difference was not statistically significant. No significant difference could be found between dudenal ulcer patients and controls. Serum bombesin was lower in all the types of peptic ulcer relative to the control. The low serum bombesin level in gastric ulcer group corresponds with the finding of high serum gastrin in these patients. Bombesin is found to be a potent releaser of gastrin in man and gastrin exerts a feed back inhibitory mechanism on bombesin level. The finding of low serum bombesin with normal fasting gastrin in dudenal ulcer patients indicates that the feed back inhibitory mechanism of elevated gastrin on bombesin level in these patients is not valid and other factors must be involved