Serum pepsinogen I levels: assessment of gastric acid secretion?

We measured serum PG I levels by an Elisa technique before and after stimulation with pentagastrin in 260 patients (161 males and 99 females). The serum levels were correlated to basic acid output (BAO), maximum acid output (MAO) and peak acid output (PAO). The correlation coefficient between serum PG I and PAO varied between -0.482 and 0.744 depending on the diagnosis. This indicates that a simple measurement of PG I cannot replace the pentagastrin test in estimating gastric acid secreting capacity. However, since all patients who were achlorhydric had a serum PG I level of less than 50 micrograms/l the measurement of serum PG I can be recommended as a screening test for achlorhydria.