Age-related changes in the acid-secreting area in patients with duodenal ulcer.

The extent of, and age-related changes in, the acid-secreting area in patients with duodenal ulcer were compared with those in patients with gastric ulcer and healthy subjects. Studies were made by the endoscopic Congo red test developed in our clinic. The incidence of a large acid-secreting area was significantly higher in patients with duodenal ulcer than in normal subjects or patients with gastric ulcer. Although the incidence of a large acid-secreting area decreased with age in patients with gastric ulcer and in normal subjects, an extensive acid-secreting area was found in patients with duodenal ulcer, irrespective of age. In endoscopic follow-up studies, shrinkage of the acid-secreting area was observed in 18.8% of the healthy subjects and 31.9% of the patients with gastric ulcer, but in only 2.4% of the patients with duodenal ulcer.