Detailed comparison of basal and food-stimulated gastric acid secretion rates and serum gastrin concentrations in duodenal ulcer patients and normal subjects.

We measured basal and peak acid outputs, food-stimulated acid secretion, and basal and food-stimulated serum gastrin concentrations in a large group of duodenal ulcer patients and normal subjects. Basal and peak acid outputs were significantly higher in ulcer patients. In contrast, acid secretion was similar in the groups when food was infused into the stomach and when sham feeding was combined with meal infusion to simulate normal eating. Meal-stimulated acid secretion, expressed as a percentage of peak acid output to correct for differences in secretory capacity, was lower in ulcer patients (P less than 0.002). Basal serum gastrin concentrations were higher in ulcer patients, which may have contributed to higher basal acid output. However, increases in serum gastrin after food were similar in the groups. Duodenal ulcer patients, as a group, have increased basal and maximal acid secretion, but the amount of acid secreted and gastrin released after eating is normal.