Histamine and peptic ulcer: a prospective study of mucosal histamine concentration in duodenal ulcer patients and in control subjects suffering from various gastrointestinal diseases.

In a prospective study the histamine content of the mucosa of the body of the stomach was measured in 100 patients consisting of control subjects, patients with duodenal ulcer and patients suffering from various gastrointestinal diseases. The histamine content was found to be 43 mug/g in male control subjects (median) while in duodenal ulcer patients levels attained were significantly lower by about 30 per cent. In all the other groups of patients histamine concentrations in gastric mucosa were found to be "normal".