Serum gastrin response to acute and chronic hypercalcaemia in man: studies on the value of calcium stimulated serum gastrin levels in the diagnosis of Zollinger‐Ellison syndrome

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effect of Ca infusion over 3 h without gastric aspiration on serum gastrin was determined in 15 normal subjects, 10 patients with duodenal ulcer, 9 with stomal ulcer, 5 with total gastrectomy, 6 with achlorhydria and 16 with proved or presumed Zollinger-Ellison (ZE) syndrome. Serum gastrin only rose significantly in the patients with ZE syndrome or achlorhydria. An increase of above or below 50% of basal value seems to be a valuable criterion by which to differentiate between patients with and without ZE syndrome. Serum gastrin levels in 44 patients with chronic hypercalcemia (72 .+-. 24 pg/ml, mean .+-. SD) were not significantly different from the levels in 100 normal subjects (66 .+-. 18 pg/ml; P > 0.10). In 1 patient with ZE syndrome and 2 patients with achlorhydria serum gastrin values were markedly higher during chronic hypercalcemia than during normocalcemia. Acute or chronic hypercalcemia without gastric aspiration does not lead to hypergastrinemia in the absence of ZE syndrome or achlorhydria.

This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit: