Relation among plasma ghrelin level, gastric emptying, and psychologic condition in patients with functional dyspepsia.
OBJECTIVE
Neurohormonal factors might play a role in the pathogenesis of functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the role of ghrelin, a gastrointestinal hormone that stimulates gastric motility, in FD is not yet clearly defined. The present study was designed to investigate plasma ghrelin levels and their relation with gastric emptying and psychologic status in FD.


METHODS
Sixteen patients with FD of the dysmotility type and 19 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Plasma active and desacyl ghrelin concentrations before and after test meal were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gastric emptying and psychologic condition were studied using C acetate breath test and questionnaires, respectively.


RESULTS
Gastric emptying was significantly prolonged in patients with FD compared with controls. Fasting desacyl and total ghrelin levels were significantly lower in FD patients than in controls, but fasting active ghrelin levels and postprandial levels of ghrelin in both forms were similar between the 2 groups. Fasting total ghrelin levels in FD patients did not differ from the postprandial levels, in contrast to what was found for controls. There was no significant association among gastric emptying, plasma ghrelin levels, and psychologic factors in FD patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Total secretory ability or metabolic condition of ghrelin may be altered in patients with FD. This seems to play a role in the pathophysiology of dysmotility type FD, independent of delayed gastric emptying or psychologic disorders.
Takamori
Ken-Ichi
K
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, National Nagasaki Medical Center, Nagasaki, Japan.
Mizuta
Yohei
Y
Takeshima
Fuminao
F
Akazawa
Yuko
Y
Isomoto
Hajime
H
Ohnita
Ken
K
Ohba
Kazuo
K
Omagari
Katsuhisa
K
Shikuwa
Saburo
S
Kohno
Shigeru
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001944:Breath Tests; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology*; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones