Gastric Secretory Failure in Patients with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Abstract

The importance of gastric juice as a barrier to enteric infections has been well established (1, 2). The frequency of gastrointestinal infections and diarrhea in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prompted us to study their gastric secretory function. Forty-eight patients diagnosed as having the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome according to criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control (3) were studied prospectively. The mean age of patients was 35 ± 9 years (mean ± 2 standard deviations [SD]). Thirty-six were men. Five healthy controls, three of whom were men, were recruited from the personnel at our institution. The mean