Endoscopic and gastric acid studies in homozygous sickle cell disease and upper abdominal pain.

Upper endoscopic and gastric acid output studies were done in 51 patients with homozygous sickle cell (SS) disease and recurrent epigastric pain. Twenty (39%) had abnormalities in the upper gastrointestinal tract including 18 (35%) with peptic ulcers. Mean basal and maximum acid output were similar in patients with and without duodenal ulcer (DU).

Relationship between ornithine decarboxylase activity and gastric damage.

Hypertonic NaCl increases the activity of gastric mucosal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Intragastric administration of concentrated NaCl solution also induces ulcers in the glandular gastric mucosa. The relationship between ODC activity and gastric mucosal damage and the significance of ODC increases in hypertonic NaCl-treated rats are unknown.