Spontaneous achlorhydria with atrophic gastritis in the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

This case report describes the occurrence of spontaneous, persistent achlorhydria in a patient with markedly raised basal acid secretion and diarrhoea for over two years (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome). Achlorhydria was due to the rapid development of severe atrophic gastritis in a gastric mucosa that had previously shown markedly increased numbers of parietal cells.