Gastric bicarbonate secretion in high-relapsing, smoking duodenal ulcer patients.

Gastric bicarbonate secretion has been evaluated by Feldman's method in 48 duodenal-ulcer patients. The relationship between smoking, clinical ulcer outcome (healing and recurrence) and bicarbonate secretion has been analysed. Heavy smokers secreted higher bicarbonate ions than did non-smokers. High-relapsing patients produced lower bicarbonate output. These preliminary data suggest that an impaired gastric bicarbonate secretion is associated with smoking, a well-known ulcer-associated factor; further-more, it may single out high-relapsing duodenal ulcer patients.