title: Serum pepsinogens as markers of response to therapy for Helicobacter pylori gastritis.
abstract: We have investigated the effect of therapy for Helicobacter pylori gastritis on serum concentrations of pepsinogen I and II in 43 patients. In the 22 patients in whom therapy resulted in dramatic decrease in gastritis scores and in clearance of the bacteria, there was a highly significant (P = 0.0001) fall in mean serum pepsinogen II from 13.3 +/- 0.8 to 7.9 +/- 0.7 micrograms/liter, and a less pronounced fall in pepsinogen I from 89.0 +/- 5.9 to 78.5 +/- 0.4 micrograms/liter (P = 0.01). These changes resulted in a significant (P = 0.01) increase in the pepsinogen I/II ratio. In contrast, nonsignificant declines of 3.5% and 11.6% were observed in mean pepsinogen I and II levels in the 21 patients whose gastritis failed to resolve histologically and whose infection did not clear. These findings suggest that serum pepsinogen levels, especially pepsinogen II, are a new tool that may be found to be clinically useful in evaluation of treatment outcome in patients with H. pylori-associated gastritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans 70112.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fontham
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobhan
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Samloff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001729:Bismuth / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009582:Nitrofurantoin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010435:Pepsinogens / Q000097:blood*; D012459:Salicylates / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010435:Pepsinogens; D012459:Salicylates; D008795:Metronidazole; C015715:bismuth subsalicylate; D009582:Nitrofurantoin; D001729:Bismuth