A Study of the Frequency of Achlorhydria Among Japanese in Los Angeles

Abstract

A survey of the frequency of achlorhydria was conducted among Japanese in Los Angeles, together with Caucasian and Mexican control subjects. One or more tubeless gastric analyses employing the azure-A exchange resin were performed on 717 Japanese subjects and 318 control subjects of Caucasian and Mexican origin. Of these 1,035 subjects, the data on 26 were excluded from consideration because of a history of previous gastric surgery, and on 46 because of diagnoses of gastric pathology. The Japanese are of especial interest with regard to achlorhydria because of their threefold increased risk to gastric cancer. The frequency of achlorhydria among isei was compared with that among nisei, and no significant difference could be demonstrated. Similarly, the frequency of achlorhydria among all the Japanese as compared to the Caucasian controls indicated there is no difference. However, the data presently available for the Mexican control group indicates that achlorhydria is more frequent in this group than in either the Japanese or Caucasians. Final interpretation of this finding should be reserved until additional data are secured. The reason for the difference in frequencies of achlorhydria in different study groups is discussed as is the reliability of this tubeless gastric analysis. It is felt by the authors that this simple test is quite reliable and that when several results in the same patient differ, this is not due so much to an inherent defect of the test as to the fact that the patient's acid secretory ability changes from time to time.