Serum pepsinogen I in childhood Helicobacter pylori gastritis: its relation to mucosal peptic activity.

Serum pepsinogen I (PG I) levels are raised in children with Helicobacter pylori gastritis. To ascertain if this is due to increased production or to increased secretion of pepsin by chief cells, we measured mucosal peptic activity in antrum and gastric body mucosal homogenates and correlated it to serum PG I levels in 122 children with and without H. pylori gastritis. In patients infected with H. pylori, mucosal peptic activity was decreased when compared to control and to children with non H. pylori gastritis. Serum PG I levels were increased (P < 0.001) and were inversely related to mucosal peptic activity (P < 0.01). These findings suggest that H. pylori can promote a leakage of pepsinogen into the circulation.