Abstract
In order to investigate the secretion of intrinsic factor in patients with gastric diseases, intestinal absorption of Co60-B12 was studied by means of Schilling's urinary excretion test. Additional study was made as well on the relation between intrinsic factor secretion and the findings of the gastric mucosa as observed by gastrocamera.
1. Intrinsic factor secretion was well preserved in all the patients with gastric cancer, polyp, ulcer and gastritis, with only one exceptional case of cancer. Thus it was suggested that these gastric diseases did not necessarily involve the intrinsic factor secretion.
2. The exception was a case of cancer of the cardia. A slight decrease of intrinsic factor secretion was noted in this case. But the decreased output of intrinsic factor may have resulted from the tissue destruction of the cardia due to cancer. The possible spread of the cancer over other part of the stomach may account for the decrease as well.
3. For detecting the atrophic changes of the gastric mucosa, gastrocamera was employed in this study. But because of its inability to differentiate gastric atrophy of pernicious anemia from the similar findings of other gastric diseases, the interpretation of whether intrinsic factor secretion is preserved or not was sometimes confused. That is, in all the patients with various gastric diseases, in whom gastric atrophic changes were observed, urinary excretions were within the normal range, while three pernicious anemia patients could not excrete normal amounts of radioactivity in the urine unless hog intrinsic factor was added.
4. Some comments were made on the significance of the diagnosis of gastric atrophy as made by gastrocamera technique.
5. Additional discussions were made on the relation between gastric atrophy and pernicious anemia or gastric cancer. However, further studies are needed for the clarification of the problem.
