CATECHOL AMINE EXCRETION BY DUODENAL ULCER PATIENTS *

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Abstract
Urinary free catechol amine excretion was studied in male ulcer patients and normal control subjects. Urine and gastric secretory collections were made before and after administration of peptone broth, histamine, and insulin. Urinary excretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine was lower in ulcer patients than in controls under "basal" conditions and after stimulation with peptone broth and insulin; all differences with respect to norepinephrine output were significant at the 0.05 level or better. Ulcer patients had higher volume, higher titrat-able acidity of gastric juice and lower pH than control subjects, but most comparisons were not significant at the 0.10 level. The increased output of norepinephrine due to insulin hypoglycemia was greater (p = 0.10 level) in the controls than in ulcer patients. Changes in gastric secretion usually were not related to changes in catechol output. In a different group of ulcer patients and normal controls the epinephrine and norepinephrine output of ulcer patients and control subjects did not differ significantly during the day. Night urine samples of ulcer patients contained significantly less norepinephrine (p = 0.01) than control subjects. Analyses based on an index of catechol output divided by urine volume indicated that the ulcer subjects tended to excrete less norepinephrine per unit of urine than control subjects under all conditions in both experiments.