To assess the effect of increasing age on circulating formed a distinct group with respect to circulating gastrin concentrations. Excluding these 27, fasting gastrin, we surveyed serum gastrin, Helicobactor pylori seroantibody status and gastric autoimmunity gastrin concentrations still rose significantly, from 44 ng/l (41-48) in the second decade, to 67 ng/l in 366 hospitalized patients aged 15-90 years. Data were subjected to multivariate analysis, using logar-(50-89) in the eighth decade (

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... 0.003) in the remaining 341 patients. Fasting gastrin concentra-ithmic transformation to normalize the distribution of gastrin concentrations (presented as geometric tions were significantly higher in patients who were H. pylori-seropositive (59 ng/l, 54-64 vs. sero-means and 95%CIs). The frequency of H. pyloripositive antibody status increased with age from negative 41 ng/l, 37-46) ( p=0.002), and there was no increase in circulating gastrin concentrations 28% in the second decade to >70% beyond the fourth decade. Fasting gastrin concentrations rose with increasing age in either the H. pylori-positive or the H. pylori-negative group. The increase in significantly from 44 ng/l (41-48) in the second decade to 95 ng/l (67-131) by the eighth decade circulating fasting gastrin observed with increasing age is due to an increased incidence of gastric ( p=0.001) in the total group. Twenty-seven patients (6.8% of the total) tested positive for gastric auto-antibodies associated with auto-immune atrophic gastritis, and an increased incidence of H. pylori antibodies: 2% of patients in the second decade, rising to 15.9% in the eighth decade. These patients infection.