The effect of metramide on the prolonged serum gastrin response to feeding observed in patients with duodenal ulcer.

The response of serum gastrin to a meal has been studied in 11 normal subjects and 16 patients with duodenal ulceration. The mean serum gastrin concentration rises after a meal to similar peak values in both normal subjects and duodenal ulcer patients, and fall to basal values with 3 hours in normal subjects. In duodenal ulcer patients the peak concentration is sustained throughout the 3 hour test period, and this response is not affected by the administration of Metiamide. It is concluded that the control of gastrin release is defective in duodenal ulceration, and this may be due to a failure of the antral pH feedback mechanism. Gastrin may be a primary pathogenetic factor in duodenal ulceration.