Gastric acid and serum gastrin response to sham feeding, and the effect of cimetidine on the response to sham feeding in duodenal ulcer patients.

Sham feeding resulted in a significant increase of gastric acid secretion in 12 male patients with duodenal ulcer. No significant change in serum gastrin concentration was produced by sham feeding. Reproducibility of gastric acid response to sham feeding was very good (r = 0.74). The mean peak 30 min acid output amounted to 9.5 +/- 1.0 mmol/30 min following sham feeding. That was 46.5% of the 30 min peak acid output elicited by pentagastrin infusion administered in a dose of 1.5 micrograms/kg/h. Cimetidine in a dose of 2 mg/kg/h almost completely reduced (by 85%) the gastric acid secretion induced by sham feeding. Cimetidine did not cause any change in serum gastrin concentration during and after sham feeding.