title: Examination of serum pepsinogen in functional dyspepsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although serum pepsinogen (PG) is considered as a marker of gastric atrophy, it also reflects gastric acid secretion, which closely influences dyspeptic symptoms. We investigated serum PG levels and PGI/PGII ratios in dyspeptic patients, in relation to various different subtypes of symptoms including Rome III classifications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum PGs were measured in 75 subjects with dyspeptic symptoms and 42 asymptomatic healthy subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PG II level was significantly higher (p=0.0001) and PG I/II ratio was significantly lower (p<0.0001) in subjects with H. pylori infection than those without, while no associations were found between PG levels and usage of H2 receptor antagonists or proton-pump inhibitors. In all subjects with pain in stomach, abdominal bloating and PDS-like symptoms according to Rome III criteria, presented significantly higher levels of PGI, compared to subjects without symptoms (p=0.043, 0.015 and 0.037, respectively). In addition, burning sensation and abdominal pain presented significantly higher PGI/II ratios (p=0.0005 and 0.003, respectively), and higher PGI/II ratio was also positively correlated with a number of symptoms (p=0.04). When subjects were divided according to H. pylori infection status, higher PGI/II ratio was significantly associated with abdominal pain in H. pylori negative subjects (p=0.03), while higher PGI level was significantly associated with functional esophageal disorders (FEG) according to Rome III criteria, and higher number of dyspeptic symptoms in H. pylori positive subjects (p=0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that subjects with higher PGI level, and PG I/II ratio are more likely to develop several dyspeptic symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyake, Japan. tomomiccyu@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Tomomitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tahara
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
authors.forename: Joh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yonemura
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamano
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Masakatsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Tomiyasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arisawa
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hirata
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005773:Gastroscopy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D020116:Pepsinogen A / Q000097:blood*; D020115:Pepsinogen C / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D020115:Pepsinogen C; D020116:Pepsinogen A