Anxiety, HCl Secretion, and Peptic Ulcer Etiology

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Abstract
Although there is substantial evidence that HC1 secretion is essential in the development of peptic ulcer, there is no conclusive indication as to the nature of the emotional processes that are positively associated with it. In a previous expt. conducted by the writer, increased HC1 secretion was produced in dogs subjected to a situation eliciting chronic fear. There were some indications from the expt. that acute fear reactions did not call forth increased HC1 secretion. In the present investigation 8 male subjects were studied to determine if acquired chronic anxiety in humans is accompanied by increased HC1 in the stomach. Gastric acidity of the subjects was detd. during the undergraduate examination period and during control periods by aspirating the stomach contents through a Levin tube. The degree of anxiety of each student was also rated as high or low on the basis of an interview. The gastric acidity was reliably higher during the examination period than during the control periods, and the rise in acidity was closely correlated with the degree of conscious anxiety exhibited. The author believes that these results agree with an anxiety hypothesis in respect to the development of peptic ulcer.