[Relationship between factors examined at health examination and serum pepsinogen levels in healthy adults. Physical measurements, blood chemical tests, drinking and smoking].

OBJECTIVE

We measured serum pepsinogen (PG) levels in healthy adults and examined their physical measurements, blood chemical test values, current drinking and smoking to investigate relationships between these factors and levels of serum PG components (serum PG I, PG II and PG I/II ratio).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A total of 452 male adults in their 40's, who were determined to be normal or to have only chronic gastritis by endoscopy or X-ray examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract, were studied. PG I and PG II levels in sera were measured, and their relationship with physical measurements and blood chemical test values, and also with current amounts of drinking and smoking, were examined.

RESULTS

1. Height, body weight, body surface area, GOT, GPT and creatinine were found to significantly differ according to serum PG I level; body surface area, GPT and ALP significantly differed according to serum PG II level. However, none of the factors examined showed any significant correlation with the PG I/II ratio. 2) When subjects were divided into positive and negative cases using the evaluation criteria of PG components for gastric cancer screening (determined as positive on the basis of serum PG I level < or = 70 ng/ml and PG I/II ratio < or = 3.0), proposed by Miki et al., none of the factors differed significantly between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Serum PG levels were associated with stature, serum transaminase and creatinine. 2) Although serum PG levels were associated with several factors, the effect of physical measurements and blood chemical tests on the results of the evaluation criteria of PG components proposed by Miki et al, were not remarkable.