Prognostic Value of the Augmented Histamine Test in Ulcer Disease and X-ray Negative Dyspepsia

Abstract

108 patients with duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, or X-ray negative dyspepsia, were interviewed 24 to 52 months after an admission to hospital, where an augmented histamine test had been performed. In ulcer patients, who had only received medical treatment, no significant correlation was found between the acid production at the time of the admission and the severity of the symptoms at the follow-up interview. In X-ray negative dyspepsia a negative correlation was found. When those patients who had been treated surgically between admission and interview were taken into account, a positive correlation between PAO and severity of symptoms was found in female gastric ulcer patients, but in duodenal ulcer disease the augmented histamine test was still found to have no prognostic value.

Key-words:

• Dyspepsia
• gastric acidity determination
• histamine
• peptic ulcer
• prognosis