title: Serum pepsinogen I in familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type I.
abstract: An increased serum pepsinogen I (PG I) concentration has been reported to be a marker of inherited peptic ulcer disease. Since both the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and hyperparathyroidism, components of the familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type I syndrome (MEN I), are often associated with peptic ulcer, we have studied serum PG I concentrations in members of six well-defined families with MEN I. Serum PG I concentrations in 20 family members with hyperparathyroidism ranged from 35 to 864 ng/ml compared to 21-92 ng/ml in 16 nonaffected MEN I members. However, serum PG I levels were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in the hyperparathyroid patients with hypergastrinemia (PGI median 192, range 75-864 ng/ml) than in those with normogastrinemia (PGI median 75, range 35-139 ng/ml). In fact, five of seven patients with hyperparathyroidism and hypergastrinemia compared to only one of 13 hyperparathyroid patients without hypergastrinemia had increased serum PG I levels above 130 ng/ml. We conclude that in the MEN I syndrome, increased serum PG I levels are found in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome but not in hyperparathyroid patients with normogastrinemia and not in nonaffected MEN I members. The results indicate that in familial MEN I, hyperpepsinogenemia I is not inherited as a genetic trait but suggest that the elevated serum PG I levels are secondary to chronic hypergastrinemia.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000097:blood; D006961:Hyperparathyroidism / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009377:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia / Q000097:blood*; D010375:Pedigree; D010435:Pepsinogens / Q000097:blood*; D015043:Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D005755:Gastrins; D010435:Pepsinogens