Serum pepsinogen: correlation of techniques and analysis of levels found in different diseases of the stomach and duodenum

Serum pepsinogen levels (SPL) were determined in 86 men and 52 women by the method of Uete et al. which employs the protein of the patients serum as the substrate. The 138 individuals were divided into 8 groups according to clinical diagnosis of stomach and duodenal diseases. Mean SPL ± S.D. (μg of tyrosine/ml of serum/24 h of incubation) were obtained for the following groups: Group I, patients without gastroenterological disease ( n = 43; 108.8 ± 31.3); Group II, active duodenal ulcer ( n = 29; 172 ± 59.8); Group III, healed duodenal ulcer ( n = 28; 171.5 ± 71.8); Group IV, gastric ulcer ( n = 13; 151.8 ± 60.1); Group V, pyloric ulcer ( n = 5; 147.5 ± 42.4); Group VI, atrophic gastritis ( n = 9; 125.8 ± 57.8); Group VII, superficial gastritis ( n = 6; 115.8 ± 47.5); and Group VIII, gastrectomies ( n = 5; 78.7 ± 35.8). No significant statistical difference was observed between the SPL of Groups II and HI or between the gastric and duodenal ulcer groups. However, when mean SPL of Group I (normal controls) was compared with those of duodenal ulcer (Active + healed) and gastric ulcer, marked differences ( p < 0.001 and < 0.01, respectively) were detected. The method of Uete et al. was compared with that described by Anson and Mirsky which uses denatured hemoglobin as substrate. Concomitant determinations of SPL in 43 of the above patients gave a correlation coefficient ( r) equal to 0.670.